Worlds Away
by Jagsrule5
Summary: <html><head></head>I'm not pretending that mine is a story worth telling. There are probably other heroes that would handle my situation differently, with finesse and confidence. But I guess I'm not a hero, not really… I'm just a regular girl, living a bizarre fantasy. SI</html>
1. In The Beginning

**_Author's Notes: _**Well, hello there! I'm Jagsrule5 (otherwise known as Claire) and I am a beginner in the fanfiction world. This would be my first story, and yes, it is a self insert (gasp!). I know, it's pretty typical in the ToS fandom, but I'll try to make this story enjoyable for everyone.

Don't worry, I've spent a lot of time making plenty of flaws for poor little OC Claire, so she shouldn't be a Marysue in any way. But if she gets a little sueish, please tell Kratos so he can cast some Judgement up in here XD. Anyway, please read on and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own ToS, and I never will :'(

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><p><em>The stabbing pain had long since subsided, and left me with a dull ache in the back of my head. I was tired. Too tired to try. What was the point in struggling? I couldn't seem to remember why I was fighting in the first place, but I couldn't shake the feeling of dread. In the end, I decided, forgetting was most likely a gift. Yes, that was what I wanted to believe. And so, firm in my resolve, I succumbed to the blanket of unconsciousness that was fast approaching…<em>

The sunlight shone faintly through my eyelids as I willed myself back to sleep. It smelled wet and humid, like the day after a summer shower, and birds chirped obnoxiously somewhere nearby. But I didn't have the will to go and shut my window. Or maybe I was just lazy… Yeah, that sounded more plausible.

I internally debated whether I should get up, or just try to ignore them. I mean, I was used to birds flocking to the large tree in my yard, waking me up at ungodly hours. This was nothing new… but there was something off.

For one, the birds near my house had a very distinct chirp, and these birds sounded very different than the ones I had always heard. Secondly, it was winter, and winter in Michigan was usually too cold for birds to come. And… why was my back so stiff?

"Nnngghh…" I tried rolling to my side, and noticed for the first time that I had no pillow, or bed for that matter. No bed? That's odd… My eyes shot open. Now somewhat aware of my surroundings, I noticed that I was, in fact, lying on the ground… outside. I was outside. I was _outside_.

I blinked. Outside? Looking around, I saw that I was on some sort of hilly forest trail, on a downward slope. The forest was thinned on either side of the road, showing a rugged pathway that led downward. "The hell…?" I whispered in disbelief.

Had I fallen asleep outside again? That did seem to happen to me a lot, especially with beautiful weather like this.

But that still didn't explain why it felt so warm here. It felt at least eighty degrees outside, and yet, as far as I could remember, it was winter. And there were no mountains in this area… Where the hell was I?

I tried thinking back to when I fell asleep. Everything felt hazy, almost as if I had been drunk at the time. But I wasn't the kind of person that got drunk like that. I had only been drunk once in my life, and I'd never want to do it again.

Jesus, I couldn't even remember what happened before I fell asleep! I remembered going to the mall with my friends on Sunday, but how long ago was that…? I felt my grogginess wash over me. It was always like this in the morning; it would take me a couple of minutes to fully wake up.

A stray thought popped into my mind. Had I been… kidnapped? This was obviously not Michigan, as I remember only a week ago my family and I had gone sledding at the local park. My sister and I were so excited to see the first snow of the season, we were practically jumping up and down… but there was no snow here whatsoever. In fact, it felt more like summer. Maybe I was out-of-state? As I pieced the information together, the idea that I was kidnapped was starting to make more sense, which is why it scared me the most.

So, where was my captor? Did he just leave me out here for kicks? I could just imagine some sick man sitting in the bushes fighting a fit of laughter because of my misfortune. Maybe they left to get something… like a chainsaw… or a bloody ax.

Shut up, Claire. This is why mom cut you off from the horror movies.

I needed to organize my thoughts.

Okay, so someone had likely kidnapped me, taken me out-of-state, and left me out in the forest, and would probably be back in a little while to do… whatever it was these people do to unsuspecting teenage girls.

Shit.

That didn't help. Okay, calm down Claire. Freaking out would not help the situation; I had to think rationally. My heartbeat was already starting to race as I started to stand up, my first thought to find a place to hide before whoever-it-was came back and found me.

For all I knew, it could be a psychotic mass murderer who only targets seventeen-year-old girls. Though I've never heard of such a thing, the thought alone made me get up a little faster. Maybe I was being paranoid, but I wasn't taking any chances.

It was then that I heard footsteps coming from somewhere up the path.

The cogs in my head started to turn. There was a fifty-fifty chance that this person-or people- was dangerous or not. A kind stranger or a kidnapper… I hesitated. This could be my ticket home.

"…that fighting with two swords …double the power…"

It was a man talking… Did he say swords?

Swords. As in sharp, dangerous swords? I broke into a cold sweat, in which I sprinted at full speed down the slope. No, I was not going to become mincemeat. Not today, thanks.

My mind was filled with images of my possible near future. I was going to be caught by some maniac, destined to become one of those horror stories you see on the news. Or maybe it wouldn't make it to the news. Maybe they would get away with it, and I would just be another missing person. My parents and siblings would mourn for a while, maybe carry some emotional scars. And then the world would move on, like it always has. Oh Lord, I was about to start hyperventilating.

While musing my possible death, I managed to nearly make it to the bottom of the mountain. I noticed that I had only been running for a good two minutes, which meant that whoever put me here left me fairly close to the bottom of the slope. How thoughtful.

I slowed to a jog, listening for footsteps. I couldn't hear anything, so I decided to take a rest. I never was the 'physically fit' type. In fact, I usually avoided running like the plague. My feet throbbed from the workout, and I was panting heavily. Well, at least I wasn't running _uphill_.

At the bottom of the mountain was a small clearing that I deemed the perfect place for a break… although that gigantic wooden board leaning against the cliff looked kind of unstable. Ah, well. At this point, I really wasn't asking for perfection.

I eased my sore muscles into a sitting position, where I took off my boots and massaged my aching feet.

Now that I was in a somewhat stable mindset, I had to think of a way to get back home; or maybe finding out where I was would be a good place to start. I looked down the road.

If I followed this dirt path, maybe I would eventually come across a town. And where there's a town, there may be a police station. And some deodorant… I was kind of sweaty. Either way, I had to move soon. Whoever those footsteps belonged to was coming this way, and I didn't want to stick around and have a nice chat with my captor.

I groaned from the throbbing in my legs as I attempted to stand up. Okay, I knew I was out of shape, but seriously? I hadn't realized I was so tired.

I shook my head. There was no time to complain about sore feet. It was time to go, and I knew it. I looked up at the path to see if there was a town within walking distance. When I saw nothing, I turned to the forest.

It was then that I saw a little blur of white making it's way over to me from out of the surrounding shrubbery. I tensed and squinted my eyes, still too far away to make out what it could be. I sighed. Now I was definitely wishing I had my contacts. Sometimes being nearsighted sucked.

As the blur came closer, the imaged sharpened, and I found myself a few feet away from… a bunny? It was a rabbit. I had never seen one so close before, at least not in the wild. Whenever I tried to get near the ones at home, they would race off before I even had a chance to see it clearly. But this one wasn't afraid. In fact, it was getting closer.

I smiled and knelt down, holding my hand out to pet it.

Now standing only a few inches from me, I could see this wasn't a normal bunny.

It looked… possessed. It had bright red eyes and… was that foam coming out of its mouth? "Woah!" I screamed as I snapped my hand away. This was quite a predicament. Did I have my rabies shot? Just in case, I backed away slowly, not wanting to startle the creature but still trying to get as much distance between us as possible. "Uhh, nice bunny. You don't want to hurt me, right? It's okay…"

That was when it lunged.

Now, I know what you're thinking: 'Wow, getting your ass handed to you by a rabbit? It's a new low.' But this rabbit bit freaking hard! It tackled me to the ground, gnawing and the left sleeve of my t-shirt with razor sharp teeth. Wait, razor sharp teeth? This was insane.

I probably should have screamed for help. In fact, I should have said anything other than cuss words, which were the only words that would form.

I waved my arm around frantically, still yelling out profanities, but the demon rabbit stayed glued to my arm.

I cried out in pain as the teeth broke into the skin, and I could see that it had drawn blood.

That was when I heard shouting coming from further up the hill. I groaned in frustration. I had a pretty good guess as to who it was, even without looking. Oh joy, the kidnapper had joined the party. This must be my lucky day.

A horrified, decidedly more feminine cry was heard from the same direction. So he had friends? Well, whatever. I had more important things to worry about, like getting this psychotic rabbit off of my arm.

I was still lying on the ground, waving my arm around like a lunatic, when the man ran up next to me and promptly swung a thin blade down on the animal, wounding it's leg and spraying blood everywhere.

He was saving me…?

I couldn't think straight, and I felt slightly nauseous. The blood loss was obviously taking its toll as I felt my legs buckle from and my form slide sluggishly to the ground. The rabbit looked between us for a second, contemplating if he was more angry or hungry. I guess the anger won out, because he loosened his grip on my arm and dropped to the ground, turning toward the man in an aggressive stance.

A young blonde with large, compassionate blue eyes ran up next to him and looked at my arm.

Her eyebrows creased… did she have that twin a second ago? And why was the ground rotating?

"Professor, can you heal her arm? She doesn't look so good…"

"No…get… away…" I mumbled wearily.

She gave me a concerned look, and turned her head to a blue haired woman walking up behind her. The woman's face was stern and professional as her eyes analyzed my condition. "She's obviously delirious… do you… we… to Izoold"

Her lips moved but nothing was being said. Did she ask me something? I was too distracted by these pretty lights moving around the sky. And I could have sworn I saw a giant green puppy dog just a minute ago.

I hope I get to pet it.

"Get yo…ill assassin… away"

Her words were fading out as I shut my eyes. I lost my chance. I could have run. I could have made it to the next town and called for help. It was too late. I could feel the consciousness slipping away fast, and I struggled against it. But my efforts were futile.

Why did I have to pass out _now_? These people had me in a vulnerable position. And they had _weapons._ How could I defend myself if I couldn't even hope to escape a stupid bunny? My arm still stung as I felt my body go limp and gave in to the darkness once again…

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><p><strong>Well? How was it? I felt this chapter was a bit rushed, but I'm trying to put more detail into my work from now on. :) Reviews are encouraged!<strong>


	2. First Meetings

**Author's Notes:** Wow! Two chapters in two days? And all for you lovely people! Yeahh i figured that the puny chapter I gave you just wasn't enough. So, to make it up to you, I put the two short chapters together to create... giganto-chapter! Enjoy round two of OC Claire's confusion!

Link Hoshi: Yeah, the blue haired girl in the first chapter _was_ Raine. I dunno. The first time I saw her, my thoughts went something like: 'Oh my lord, did someone pour kool-aid into that woman's hair?' (Same with Genis and Yuan. By the time Regal rolled around, I was pretty used to odd hair colors :D) And after that I always pictured Raine with blue hair. But I'll use silver to clear up any confusion!

Jesus, I think I am officially addicted to reviews. They are like crack for writers. Really. I never knew how great they were until I saw them on my own story! Those things are like pure joy for my eyes. O_O So, please, keep'em comin!

I need to stop rambling aimlessly. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own ToS, or whichever company makes kool-aid

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><p>Seagulls cawed from somewhere far in the distance. I smelled… fish? And salt? Gross. I wrinkled my nose and turned to lie on my stomach, burying my head into the pillow.<p>

I didn't want to wake up, because I was fully aware of the situation I was in. Well, at least I wasn't dead via killer rabbit attack. That would just be pitiful.

I felt…off. There was no other word for it, really. My arm, somehow miraculously, was fine. But that wasn't the strange part. What really surprised me was the lack of scars or bruises. If it weren't for the gigantic hole in my sleeve and the bloodstains covering my body, I wouldn't believe that anything had happened.

I attempted to get up from the small bed, but quickly lay back down. Everything was... _spinning._ I closed my eyes and took in a slow breath.

Once I felt my dizziness fade slightly, I risked opening my eyes once more.

Ceiling.

Still lying on my back, I twisted my body around to get a good look at the room. I quickly realized that 'room' was not the correct word. 'Shack' would probably be more appropriate.

Everything was wood. Wooden walls. Wooden floors. Wooden table. Oh, and wooden chairs… how refreshing. One identical bed was positioned next to this one, and the only other scenery was a tiny candle on the table and a large window that was fixed to the wall on my left. There were some small bags in the corner… so there were people here...

The sound of a chair scraping across the floor in another room reached my ears, and I froze.

Another minute passed and nothing happened. I closed my eyes. Maybe it was all a dream.  
>Maybe I would wake up and my old bedroom would appear. I could only hope.<p>

I peeked open an eye.

The man-or should I say _boy_- from earlier was staring at me curiously, literally three inches from my face. I jerked back from reflex, hitting my head on the wall behind me.

"Oww…" I winced and patted the now bruised area.

He gave me a wide grin and whipped his head around, "Hey, Kratos. You were right, she is awake!" A taller, more serious looking man walked up behind him.

Damn, he was sexy. Did I say that out loud? No? Good…

"Hmph. I suppose I should tell the others." With a flourish of his cape, he spun around and strode into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

Though I knew that I was probably in a tight spot, I decided that it would help if I could talk to them. Maybe these people wanted me here for a reason, and once they got their answer, I could go home.

The worn-out springs screeched as I sat upright in the bed. Now that we were alone, I took a good look at my savior.

He was handsome. Of course, that _would_ be the first thing I noticed. His face was strong and sculpted, and his crimson-brown eyes shined with boyish excitement. He had a blood red coat with a very high collar, and two white tails hanging limply from the back. Strange… yet familiar.

How could he stand wearing that coat? I'm in a light jacket, and I'm on the verge of sweating. He should be burning up!

The boy cleared his throat, waving his hand in front of my face. "Hello? Are you alright?"

I blinked and looked up, suddenly realizing that I was staring at his awesome heavy-but-not-warm coat. I gotta get me one of those. "Oh, um… Yeah."

My head was spinning, and I felt a faint stinging sensation in my arms… but other than that, I was fine.

His smile returned, obviously satisfied with my response.

"What were you doing way out on Ossa Trail? And without an escort or anything?"

He gave me a patronizing look. "Maybe it would be okay if you could defend yourself, but with that rabbit…"

I shuddered involuntarily.  
>Oh, God. You know, I was hoping he would just let the demon bunny thing go.<p>

"Not everyone carries around two enormous swords, like _some_ people." I glanced down at the swords strapped onto his belt, and my confidence wavered. It really wasn't smart to anger strangers with sharp swords at their disposal. Maybe I'd better apologize before he snaps…

But he didn't seem hurt by my comment. In fact, he was looking at me like _I _was insane.  
>"Everyone who wants to travel does. And that reminds me, why were you-"<p>

Before he could finish his sentence, the wooden door creaked open. A silver-haired duo and a peppy blonde filed into the room; followed by the sexy redheaded man that was speaking earlier… whoa, that was some spiky hair. Then again, redcoat over here had some pretty crazy hair too. I guess it's just popular over here… wherever that is.

They took their respective places in the room, the blonde and redcoat sitting on the bed next to me, and the silver duo sitting at the small wooden table at the center of the room.

The older man stood alone in the corner, with a hand on the hilt of his sword. Jesus, that sword was huge. I'd bet he could butcher me with one lazy swipe.

I decided to stay a safe distance from him.

The older silver-sibling was a fairly young woman, maybe twenty-five. I recognized her as the one who was checking my wound before I passed out. She wore a large orange coat with white boots and had a staff in her hand, which immediately reminded me of Yoda. It took all I had not to giggle at that.

Her calculating eyes narrowed when she saw me glance at her. I quickly looked away. What was her problem?

My gaze landed on the smaller boy, about eleven or twelve. The bright blue shirt he wore only went mid-waist, showing a black t-shirt underneath. The shorts were almost identical in color and design, making me think that he probably bought it as a full outfit. He looked like he could be her son… but that would mean it was a teen pregnancy. I'm just going to go with brother for now.

He was pretty adorable, actually. His silver nest of hair was sticking in every direction… what was it with these people and hair? It's like they all decided to go crazy with the hair gel.

He was smiling at something the red-coat guy said. His impish grin reminded me of my sister… they would be about the same age.

Thinking of my family gave me a sharp pang of guilt. They were probably so worried. My mom would be so lonely, and my poor big brother… he was always so protective of us. He would never forgive himself if he knew I was scared and alone in an unknown place…

"…Well?"

I looked up from my daze. "Erm… What?"

The stern woman sighed, and repeated, "I said, what were you doing on that mountain alone, with no protection whatsoever? And what were you thinking, bending down to pet that rabbit monster? Luckily, there were only minor injuries, but think of the possibilities! You could have been seriously hurt, or even killed. Not to mention, it took almost all of my mana to cure you, which meant that I was of no use when that assassin attacked moments later. That was very irresponsible of you! We had to-"

"I think what the Professor means to say," Said the young blonde, quickly, "Is that you could have been very hurt. Why didn't you just run?"

These people were obviously not the ones who brought me here. Then who…?

"Well," I replied, looking down in embarrassment, "I can't see very well, and- and I thought maybe it was just a normal rabbit, until I got a good look at it's face." I shuddered. "I love animals, but they don't usually let me get that close, so…"

I looked up apologetically. "Anyway, thanks for helping me out back there. Now, if you could just point me to the local authorities, I'll be on my way."

There was a collective look of shock from the group. What? There was no police or mayor or _anything _here?

The little kid fiddled with the bottom of his baggy blue shirt absentmindedly. "There is no government system in Izoold, so there is no authority… but most people from around here would know that." He his gaze narrowed suspiciously. I think I had a good idea where he got _that._

The boy in red's eyes opened wide in realization. You could almost see a little light bulb go off above his head.

"But the Professor is pretty knowledgeable about these parts. I'll bet she could help you."

He turned and gave a pleading look to the 'professor'. She looked a little young to be a professor… but anyone with that title must be pretty smart.

She looked at me in exasperation, like I was some lengthy distraction on her list of oh-so-important things to do. Because helping a lost child is _such_ a burden.

"That would be great!" I exclaimed. Hopefully, I could make them pity me enough to have them take me all the way home. If not, I could always look for a phone and call to have my family pick me up. Either way, knowing that I was no longer in the presence of a psycho was very reassuring. And, other than the scary man in the corner, these people were very kind.

"Actually, I was hoping you could tell me where I am… I got, er… _lost_ and somehow wound up on top of that mountain."

There was no need to tell them that I had no recollection of what brought me here. I didn't even understand the details, so I doubt they would be able to help.

It frustrated me that I couldn't remember what had happened, even now. There must be some important information that I was missing…

"We are in Izoold, on the western continent." The Professor looked at me with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "Forgive me for being straightforward, but what were you doing out there? And how could you not keep track of where you were?"

Izoold? Was that a town? And what did she mean by 'western continent'? Last time I checked, there were seven continents. Unless my third grade social studies teacher was out of his mind.

I wasn't very good at coming up with excuses. Changing the topic usually worked well, but there was really nothing else to talk about. And they were all waiting for an answer.

I coughed nervously. "I don't really have an answer to either of those questions…"

Her eyebrows flew up and she crossed her arms skeptically. "So, you're saying you don't know why you were at the top of Ossa Trail, or why you didn't think to keep accurate directions or even a map?"

She was making me look like an idiot. And worse, I couldn't argue with her. Everything she said was true.

"When you put it like that, it makes me sound like a moron… but, yeah. That's pretty much it."

I matched her glare with one of my own. I was getting tired of her attitude. She couldn't be more than five years older than me, yet she acted as if she was some sort of sage. I didn't _want _to be dropped in the forest, with no clue how I got there. And I sure as hell didn't want to be interrogated by some random doctor chick I just met.

The four others watched our staring match uneasily. Finally, the blonde cleared her throat and spoke.

"Miss, I'm not sure what you were doing up there, or how we could help, but I think it might be a good idea to get to know each other! I'm Colette, and this is Lloyd."

She waved a hand toward redcoat, who looked relieved for the subject change. He grinned and gave a little salute.

"And I'm Genis!" piped the tiny boy in blue.

I gave a small smile. I just had to get my questions answered, and then I could find my own way home. Nice or not, they were still strangers.

Genis coughed subtly and nudged the Professor's arm. She rolled her eyes.  
>"…My name is Raine, but you may call me Miss Sage."<p>

Huh. I quickly realized the irony in her last name. It was almost laughable.

Colette's grin didn't fade "And that's Kratos." She pointed to the mysterious man in the corner, who hadn't said a word this whole time. He looked to me and nodded.

"Hey, I'm Claire. Claire Wagner... Listen, I was wondering if maybe you had a map or something that I could borrow? I really need to get home before my parents start worrying …"

It was then that I heard Kratos speak. "We only have one map, and it is vital to the successful outcome of our journey. We cannot allow you to take it."

Raine nodded, "Yes. It would be a major setback if she were to lose or run away with our only world map."

I stared at them in irritation. Really? You could buy a map for a buck at any nearby gas station. Was it _that_ big of a deal? Apparently, it was.

Lloyd shrugged, "I don't think she would lose it, but we could at least let her look at the map…right?"

Raine opened her mouth to protest, but closed it after she found that she really couldn't argue.

Colette smiled and reached into her bag, pulling out an enormous map on faded paper. It looked almost like the pirate maps I made for scavenger hunts when I was little. The edges were ripped and a faded yellow color.

She laid it open on the table, and I looked at the hand drawn writing with a mixture of confusion and dread. What was this?

This wasn't Earth.

This wasn't even a _country_ on Earth. The three masses of land showed no familiarity to me. My heart sank as I pretended to study the map. At first, I was a little annoyed. It was probably a cruel trick played on me by these strangers. I just had to wait for one of them to burst into laughter, pulling out the real map as they told me that I was too gullible.

I looked up for an explanation, but everyone seemed to have dispersed. Lloyd and Genis were on the other side of the room, asking Colette something about wings. Raine had pulled an old vase from her bag, and was frantically writing something down, leaving time to shoot me suspicious looks every few seconds.

They weren't laughing… or even paying any attention to the fact that this map was totally wrong. So then… this wasn't a joke.

Kratos was still leaning on the back wall… watching my alarmed reaction with interest. I hurriedly looked away. Had he seen my whole panic attack?

I wiped a sweaty palm against my jeans as I took a second look at the map. There was Izoold, and it was indeed on the western continent. I could see the mountain I had woken up on, Ossa Trail, but I didn't see any sign of Detroit… or Michigan… Or even the freaking United States.

Alright, maybe these people were just a little insane. Now that I thought about it, carrying around huge swords and staffs was not what I called normal behavior. And just look at their clothes! They looked like something out of a fantasy book. Therefore, it might be possible that they made this map themselves. And if they were crazy, I didn't want to stick around.

I had seen enough of this fake map, and I just wanted to get away from these insane people. I gently rolled up the map then turned toward the door. I would find a real map and then go from there.

A hand touched my shoulder, and I jumped. Turning around, I sighed a breath of relief. For a second, I thought I would be staring into the cold glare of Kratos, but it was only Colette. I still didn't trust that man. It may have had something to do with the giant sword.

Her mouth tugged at a frown, "Claire, did the map help? You look upset… is it because we left you over here? I'm so sorry; we should have helped you read it. I know I had trouble the first time I tried to follow the map. That's why we usually let Kratos do all of the navigating… I should have paid more attention…"

I was stunned. Was she apologizing for going a few feet away to talk to her friends? Unbelievable.

"No, no Colette! That's not it… I just realized that I was a bit further from home than I thought. Don't apologize." I opened the map again.

Colette's face brightened "Oh, sorry! Maybe we can help you get home? If we can help you in any way, please don't hesitate to ask."

I laughed nervously, and looked back down at the map. Shit. I had really dug myself into a hole this time…

"Ah. Well, that's very kind of you, Colette. But I think it may be a bit _too_ far away…" At least that was half true.

"See, we're here," I pointed to the little dot that said 'Izoold', "But I live closer to-" I looked for a dot that was far, far away from here. The farther it was from here, the closer it was to home. At least, I hoped."-Here!" I pointed to a dot surrounded by lots of water. The 'great lakes state' had to be by water, right?

"Luin? That _is_ far away…"

"Indeed it is." Said Kratos, walking toward us. "I'm afraid we cannot help you. We are currently looking for a ship to take us to Palmacosta. It would be quite a detour."

Colette's grin faded, and then leaped back. "Well, we can at least keep you company before we have to leave. While Lloyd and Kratos go look for a ship, we can just relax together! We aren't leaving until tomorrow anyway. You know, I've never been to the beach before…"

Lloyd didn't seem super excited to be going on a lone trip with Kratos.

I didn't blame him.

Genis' head sprung up. "Hey! If Lloyd's going to find the ship, I wanna go too!"

Kratos didn't look so enthusiastic. "Though I'm sure we would be able to find the ship in time, it would be difficult to protect the Chosen if she were not in my sight."

His piercing glare washed over me, and it made me want to crawl into a hole and die.

How did I get dragged into this? All I wanted to do was to go home, not spend a freaking beach day with the blonde!

"Erm… Actually," I started, "I really need to be on my way. I've caused enough trouble as it is. You know, with the fainting … and the rabbit …" I mentally smacked myself. Why did I have to bring up the rabbit?

Colette acted as if she hadn't heard me. She looked up at Kratos, eyes big and watery. Ahh, the old puppy dog trick. One of my favorites.

"But Kratos, Raine will be with us! I'll be fine for a few hours."

Knowing the doctor was coming made the idea less appealing. She was obviously suspicious of me, and the way she looked at me…

Raine's face poked up from the journal she was previously absorbed in. "Yes, I suppose I could watch her." Her eyes narrowed when they met mine.

Colette clasped her hands together, teeming with excitement. "Oh, good! I wish our new friend could come, but she had to leave pretty quickly…"

Genis rolled his eyes "Colette, she was trying to kill you. She's defiantly not your friend." As if someone trying to kill you was the most normal thing in the world.

"Maybe not now, but I'm sure if I just talked to her, we could be good friends." Colette argued. I was starting to see a pattern here.

Meanwhile, I was slowly inching my way to the door. "Look, you're all very nice people, and the beach _does_ sound fun, but I really just want to go home…" Huh, that line sounded familiar… I felt like I was saying it wrong, though.

I watched Colette's face fall. I imagine this would be the feeling you get after kicking a puppy.  
>"Oh, yes… of course. You must feel awfully homesick."<p>

A hesitant smile played on her lips. "We won't keep you waiting if you don't want to… just let me know when you're leaving and if we can help at all, okay?"

She turned to leave, looking back and giving me one more smile before prancing over to Lloyd and Genis.

Raine, having watched the whole exchange, stood up and abruptly pulled me aside.  
>"A word?" I nodded reluctantly.<p>

We walked over to the corner of the small shack. "Claire, I know that you barely know us, and this may seem like a strange request, but I would like you to go have fun with Colette." She looked back at Colette, a solemn look on her face. "She doesn't know many other girls her age, and… and this may be the last time she gets to relax like this… in a long time…"

She said the last bit as an afterthought. "I would normally be skeptical of letting Colette associate with a total stranger, but I don't believe you hold much of a threat. Your mana is very weak, and you don't have an exphere, or even a weapon. And Colette does seem to put a great deal of trust in you. Although, she has a habit of being too trusting for her own good."

I nodded. That did seem like something she would do.  
>"Yeah, I noticed."<p>

I couldn't believe it. Was she actually encouraging this?  
>Well, the poor girl did seem nice… Maybe I could use a break. And, if they were dangerous, wouldn't they have done something by now?<p>

"I suppose if I were to chaperone, there wouldn't be an issue. If you do this, I will consider it payment for the inn's fee that we paid. Seeing as you have no money, I would seriously consider your options."

I didn't even know I had a debt.

I could run, but it didn't seem right after all they had done for me. Saving me from being eaten and bringing me to a town was almost payment enough. Not to mention the fact that they paid for my room at an inn. And if they couldn't even afford a decent map, that must have been a huge sacrifice. They may be a little insane, but they were nice enough.

"I guess I could relax a little before I… leave…" What was I going to do, anyway? I had no clue where I was, or which way I should go. I suppose my first step would be to get a _real_ map in town.

Raine nodded knowingly.

Sighing, I turned back toward the group and put on my best grin. "Ahem…"

All heads turned to me.  
>"Nice weather today, isn't it? Makes me want to go to the beach…"<p>

Catching my drift, Colette's eyes widened. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Like a girls-day-out! I think we can be good friends, Claire."

"…friends?" I smiled at the thought.

Colette nodded cheerily and grabbed my arm, pulling me out the door and into the harsh sunlight.

* * *

><p>The sun was already high in the sky as we crossed the short road to the small strip of beach. I'll have to admit, a day at the beach did sound nice, especially since my pale skin hadn't seen sunlight in months. And this girl seemed very eager to get to know me.<p>

That was strange for me. At home, I tended to fade into the background. No one really cared if I was their friend or not; they were happy in their little cliques. Of course, I had my group of friends as well, and I was never shy of going up and talking to people. But I always wondered why _I _was the only one trying… why people never came up and talked to _me_.

It was sort of refreshing. Something told me that she honestly wanted to know me…

…

"…And now we just have to break the holy seals, and I can become an angel and regenerate the world." Colette gave an almost bitter smile. "My hope is to create a better life for the people of this world…"

We were lying on the warm sand, watching the waves roll in. Neither of us had swimsuits, and I didn't want to get my hair wet anyway. The day had almost been spent, and we were all exhausted. For most of the day, Colette and I built sand castles with the village children. Later on, Raine took me on a tour of the tiny fishing town. It was a fun day, despite my growing homesickness.

While Raine was telling a fascinated Colette about the history of sailboats, I was able to sneak into the village store and buy a map. Unfortunately, as I had dreaded, all of the maps showed the same three masses of land… none of which had any familiar towns or cities on them.

So, I was stuck here until I could figure out what the hell was going on. I swear, if this was some elaborate April fool's joke, someone is going to get my foot in their ass. Because this…this wasn't funny at all…

The others would be back with the boat soon. Raine had told me that they plan on leaving first thing tomorrow, and then I would be alone again…

I had been listening to Colette's tale for about an hour. It sounded almost magical, like a fairytale. I felt a sting of envy. Her life had so much purpose… and to be an _angel_.

My mind kept screaming '_it's not real!_', but when I saw the sincere look of determination on Colette's face, I knew she was serious. And I _wanted_ it to be real.

No, it couldn't be real…

"To become an angel…" I whispered thoughtfully, "Do you think it's real, Miss Raine?" I knew that Raine was still very suspicious of me, but after patiently listening to her long lecture on the economy of Izoold, she seemed to have at least grown more tolerant.

Raine nodded from the other side of Colette. "I have seen the proof in Colette. It is indisputable, now that the tower has appeared."

My brow furrowed, "What tower?"

Colette pointed behind her, to a thin black line, barely visible in the setting sky.

It was like the biggest skyscraper I had ever seen, but how it didn't topple over with the slightest wind was beyond me.  
>It had a grand, majestic appearance that I had never seen captured in a building before. I almost wanted to write poetry to describe the beauty of the tower… and I never write poetry.<p>

It was beautiful, but the others chose not to look. They had probably seen it many times before.  
>I looked on in amazement. How was this not the eighth wonder of the world?<p>

…_because it is not your world… _

Woah, where did that come from? Of course this was my world… Just because the maps make no sense… and the locals have a crazy religion… and people turn into angels… and there are huge gravity defying…towers…

…

Everything suddenly clicked. I gasped. It all made so much sense. The swords… the strange clothing…the towns with foreign names… the lack of government… I felt sick.

Maybe everyone here was crazy? No, I couldn't say these people were crazy, because I've spoken with them. They, and the townspeople, all sincerely believed in this regeneration crap.

Colette likely took my gasp as a feeling of awe. She nodded and replied, "Yeah, it's…really something, isn't it?"

This couldn't be… I didn't want to believe it. If I was a world away, how could I possibly even get here?

Colette looked over at my conflicted expression, concern written on her face. Okay, I had to keep calm. I tried to collect myself and my thoughts.

"Claire, are you alright? Your face… you just-"

"I'm fine, Colette. I'm fine."

I was not fine. Inwardly, I was dying. My family…my home… When would I get to see them again? Would I ever? My carefully constructed wall of denial was crumbling into nothing. I needed to confide in someone, but no one was there.

I had never felt so alone…

I stood abruptly. Both heads turned toward me, eyes filled with uncertainty.

"I have to go. I…I'm sorry. I have to go!" I bolted straight for the entrance to town. Where was I going? I didn't know, and I didn't care. I just needed to be alone with my thoughts.

I slowed to a walk when I reached the gate. Maybe a walk in the forest would help me clear my head. Yes, that sounded nice.

I looked up at the stars as I followed the dusty dirt path out of town. It felt nice to just go out and walk, like I used to at home. This little piece of familiarity did wonders to my outlook. My mind was finally sapped of its adrenaline, and I could take a more logical approach on the issue. Now, I-

"Claire…? Claire! Claire!" I looked back to see one of the little village girls that was building sand castles with us earlier, standing at the town's entrance. She was a tiny little thing, maybe six or seven, with stubby brown pigtails that made her look even younger. I couldn't pinpoint what her name was… Christy? Cathy?

"Oh, hello. What are you still doing out?" I walked over and knelt down, so that she was eye level.

"I saw you leaving the village, and wanted to make sure you were careful of the monsters. They get reeaally dangerous at night!" She made a spooky face and wiggled her fingers to get the point across.

I laughed at her antics. How cute. I remember the age that I was scared of monsters. I told her what my mom always said to make me feel better.

"Well, just so you know, I have a secret weapon."

Her smile widened and she hopped up and down excitedly, "What, what? What is it?"

I raised an eyebrow in mock suspicion. "Are you _sure_ you can keep a secret?"

"Yeah! I'm a very good secret keeper!" She was enthralled by this new game, and I found that I was too.

I got closer and whispered in her ear "I just close my eyes real tight, and say 'monsters aren't real!' over and over, and they go away. You got that?"

The little girl's eyes widened, "Does it really work?" She whispered to me.

"Of course! I do it all the time, and-" My smile grew as I looked into her eyes… but she wasn't looking at me. She was looking behind me… "I haven't run into a single-"

I was caught off guard by an earsplitting scream erupting from the child, as she pointed to something behind me.

A sickly green, slimy goop landed on my shoulder, followed by a heavy, wet panting noise that sounded…very…close…

I whipped around, heart starting to pound. Sudden images of the demon rabbit flooded into my mind. I wasn't prepared for this!  
>What met my eye was the putrid rotting body of a…was it a human?<p>

"M-m-monster!" I screeched and jumped back in surprise. "Wh-What is that thing?" I immediately started to back away, keeping my body between the creature and the child.

I could feel the girl's heart rate quicken, "Zombie! Zombie!"

Oh my god, oh my god. Once, I saw a crazy 3D zombie movie in the theaters, and couldn't sleep for a week. I knew it was a movie, and the graphics were really cheesy, but just the thought of them made me check my closet a few times… just in case. The only thing that helped me get over it was the fact that I knew they weren't real.

Now, seeing it standing in front of me, ready to eat my face off, I nearly fainted for the third time this week.

The sight of the zombie was enough to make me want to vomit. Its eye was halfway out of its socket, and one arm was missing, leaving only the bone. The hair was partially missing on one side, showing a bit of pink that… I wish could have gone unseen. It had lost almost all of its teeth, but that didn't lessen the danger. All I could focus on was the rusty dagger that it held in its good arm.

I didn't want to touch it, or go near it at all. I wanted to run to my big brother, and let him take this horrible nightmare away… I wanted to run and run until I was back home, with my indoor plumbing and no zombies.

The girl had shut her eyes tight and began chanting, "M-monsters aren't real… Monsters aren't real..."

I looked down, suddenly remembering that there was a little girl here, who was probably just as scared as I was. And there was no big brother to take the bad things away… It was my responsibility this time. But what could I do…? I did what I do best.

"Um…uh…run!" I screamed to the little girl, as I grabbed her hand and bolted toward the town gate.

The child opened her eyes, a panicked expression on her face. "No, no! We can't lead it into town! Mommy told me you have to stab zombies. She says monsters are evil, and gots to die." She tore her hand from mine and crossed her arms in defiance.

I looked at the girl, then the zombie, and then back toward the town.  
>She was worried about a stupid fishing town when we were going to die?<p>

Frantic, I scooped the little girl into my arms and ran toward the town gate anyway. There was no way I was going to fight that zombie. No way in hell.

Apparently, the kid had other plans, because she was thrashing and kicking violently in my arms.  
>"No, stop! Gotta beat the monster! Kill it! Kill it!"<p>

"We can't- OW! We can't beat that th-Ouch! Quit it!" Jesus, this kid punched hard. I just decided to put the child down. There was no use in trying to convince her otherwise.

After setting the girl back down, I looked back at the zombie that was limping steadily toward us. "Go get help. I… I'll take care of this, okay?" I instructed the shaking child.

I tried to keep my voice steady and even, so as not to betray any hint of fear. I was surprised to find that it was actually working. I saw the girl's shoulders relax. She gave a determined nod and darted off toward town.

I felt like the one stupid girl in every horror movie that doesn't run away when she has the chance. There was still a chance… I shook my head, as if it could shake away the thought.

No, there was no running now. I just had to hold it off until the girl came back with help.  
>That was my job… It was simple enough.<p>

My stomach wrenched as I looked around for something to defend myself with. The zombie was now only two or three feet away, flailing the knife wildly and lunging with every step. It landed a few swipes to my face and arms, drawing blood instantly.

I backed away hastily, catching my foot on a stray rock. Already a bundle of nerves, I regained my footing and glanced at the ground in slight annoyance. Ugh, there were so many rocks on this path, I wondered how anyone could walk two feet without tripping…

…Wait, rocks? That was it! Rocks!

Still jumpy with adrenaline, I gathered about a dozen small rocks into my shaking hands. My eyes narrowed slightly as I started chucking the rocks at the creature, aiming mostly at the uncovered section of his head.

Because of my terrible eyesight, most of the rocks missed the zombie by a few feet.  
>I sighed inwardly, hoping that if I lived through this, I could find an eye doctor soon.<p>

Still, ten wasted rocks later, I finally managed to hit the zombie man. When the stone reached the center of his forehead, I was satisfied to hear a small, but audible, crunch. The creature staggered back, clutching it's head and letting out a deep moan.

I was in shock. I hit it? Awesome! Smiling a bit despite myself, I scooped up a few more rocks and once again started pelting the beast in the head.  
>I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry. I was beating this thing, all on my own! With no sword-wielding maniac to help me!<br>I chuckled at my private joke, but stopped when I realized that this was only round one…

The zombie was soon ready to attack again, this time with a vengeance. His once-sloppy swipes were becoming more precise, and his movements were now more jerky and haphazard. It was hard enough to aim with my eyesight lacking, but now it was nearly impossible…

_His_ aim, however, was better than ever. My body was now covered in thick red blood, mingling with the drops of sweat running down my arms. The more he lunged, the weaker I was getting. I had to think of something, and fast.

The real danger, I soon realized, was not the zombie, but the knife.

I had to get it out of the creature's hand, or I would be dead very soon.

I looked down to my store of rocks.  
>I only had two in my hand, but there were two more left on the ground. Alright, so I had four rocks in total… Though not reassuring, it made me feel better to know my odds.<p>

I took extra care to aim my first two rocks, this time at the rusty dagger in his stubby fingers.

My heart skipped a beat as I watched them sail through the air, just skimming the flat side of the knife, but knocking him square in the chin. I scowled slightly. I didn't hit the dagger… but at least he was injured, right? Yes, that was a good thing. And I had two more rocks left, after all.

Again, the monster let out a high-pitched wail. It staggered back a few feet and clutched its jaw, spitting out a few teeth.  
>Yeah, I hope that hurt.<p>

I was feeling pretty badass; beating monsters was becoming a reoccurring thing for me. I took a cursory glance over myself. My arm was now probably more blood than flesh, and the mid-section of my top had been ripped to shreds. My hands were shaking viciously, as well as my legs. Yeah, I was defiantly the picture of bad-assery…  
>Was that even a word? Probably not.<p>

I scrambled to pick up the last remaining rocks, sorting them in my hands. I was more confident now, because the zombie was closer and easier to hit. But I was still scared out of my mind.

My thoughts kept wandering back to the small girl who left to get help… was she okay? What was taking her so long?

The zombie had regained its composure, and it looked pretty pissed. Its last remaining tooth was dangling precariously from the room of its mouth, and its head was lolling from side to side as if disconnected from its shoulders. I was almost completely sure I was going to have nightmares tonight.

Giving all of my strength, I launched the last couple of rocks directly at the zombie.  
>As they hit, I closed my eyes and hoped for a miracle.<p>

…

I heard a light clatter of metal being struck and opened my eyes hopefully.

I saw the zombie grasping his shoulder with his one good arm. Wait, if he was grabbing his shoulder… I looked at his hand. He had dropped his arm so that it was hanging loosely at his side…holding onto nothing.

My heart leaped as I searched the ground. He must have dropped it somewhere…

I noticed that the zombie was looking at the ground too. I had to move fast.

It became sort of like a game of 'I spy'. Whoever can find the knife first wins the prize! I stopped myself there. How could I think something like that? I was disgusted with my thoughts. If this was a game, it was the sickest game I had ever played.

Finally, I spotted a small glint to the left of the creature. I lunged, paranoid that the zombie would see it too. Grabbing the dagger, I held the pointed end toward the zombie with both shaking hands.

The monster didn't understand its mistake at first, and began flailing its fists, much as it did when it had the knife. I looked down at the dagger. All I had to do was plunge the knife into his chest, and this whole nightmare would be over…

I began to hesitate. This thing may not be fully human, but it still felt pain. It still had arms and legs and _breathed _the same air I did… It may be in self-defense, but it was still taking a life. But what about the town? The poor, scared child that loved her family so much that she stood up to the monster? How many more lives would be upset because of this monster? Did it really come down to who deserved to live more…?

The zombie was grabbing at my clothes and the dagger, seemingly desperate. If I waited too long, it would surely be able to snatch the knife back… it had to be done…

I let my mind slip into autopilot and thrust the dagger into his ribs. I heard the wailing of the zombie reverberate through my mind. It crumbled to the ground and let out a painfully long cry before it faded out completely.

Like an echo, it repeated through in my head again and again. I just killed a man. I _killed_ a man. I was a murderer.

Holding up my bloodstained hands, I cursed myself and my stupid self-defense.

If I wasn't here, that life might have had a few more days of happiness… a few more days of _living_. But I didn't belong here, in this world. I could feel it from the moment I woke up on that mountain. This was no place for people like me. This place, where monsters roamed free and people gave no thought to killing others, was not the safe haven I called home.

And so, I knelt over the crumpled body of the deceased creature, knife still lodged it its ribs. Clutching my arms to escape the chills running through my body, I broke down and cried. I cried for my family, and I cried for the zombie. But, mostly, I cried for myself.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Claire. Well, at least we got some angst in there. Gotta love that angst! :D Review? Criticism is welcomed<strong>


	3. Treatment

**Author's Notes: **Kinda in the whole writing spirit this week, huh? I'm just trying to get the most chapters finished before *DUN DUN DUUNN* writer's block sets in. I can _feel_ it coming for me... D:

Some new OC's are coming in this chapter... Not a lot of importance for them(maybe one). I kinda just came up with these people on the spot, but they were amusing to write! Enjoy!

* * *

><p>There were low murmurs coming from far in the distance… Or maybe they were coming from my head.<p>

Maybe I _was_ going crazy…

That's what it seemed like to me, anyway. I just killed a live creature, and now I was hearing voices. I should be institutionalized…

"_Claire!_"

What? What were the voices saying _now_? I didn't get up from my place next to the zombie. Even if it was a monster, it was a living being. I had never killed a live thing before. Not even bugs. I would call my dad, and he would scoop it into a cup and release it outside. Now, I had killed the closest thing to a human. _I_ was the real monster.

The tears felt like an endless flood. It was still a clear, summer night.

It was beautiful; too beautiful for a night as horrible as this.

"_Claire…? Claire! Hey, I found'er!_"

Who? Found who? I wish my voices could be more specific.

I felt an arm touch my shoulder, jolting me out of my haze. The fog slowly lifted as I registered where I was. How long had I been out here…?

I blinked and looked around, and then, feeling foolish for not thinking of it before, looked back at the person who had reached out to me.

It was a man, maybe twenty, with ashy blonde hair tied into a small ponytail. I couldn't see his face clearly; it could have been the darkness or the mist of tears in my eyes. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked behind him.

"Good work, Kat. But she doesn't look so good… Should we take her home?"

Someone answered from behind him, but I couldn't make out what they had said.

He turned back around and took a good look at the dead zombie beneath his feet. Unfazed, he said, "And check the zombie for valuables… Sometimes they carry some useful items."

A little girl ran from behind him, and gently pulled me to my feet. I complied, mostly because my legs were starting to stiffen. She then knelt down in the same fashion and started searching the monster's body.

She checked both pant pockets, pulling out some sort of red slimy ball with a satisfied grin. Seeing that there was nothing else to take, she stood up and gave me a cursory glance.

"Brother, do you think we should take her to mommy? She can heal her, right?"

Her 'brother' nodded and took that as a cue to grab my hand. He tugged it, as if for me to follow, but my legs wouldn't comply. I was still in shock. How could they be so… so _relaxed_ about all of this? Like it happened every day? Oh Lord, maybe it does…

The girl turned to me, "You okay, Claire?"

"I…I don't…" Turning to look at my inquirer, I saw that she was the same little girl from earlier. So she was okay? I almost let out a sigh of relief.

"It's okay, Katie. I can carry her if she can't walk. Either way, it's getting late, so lets hurry." He wasted no time in lightly scooping me into his arms, bridal style.

Some part of me wanted to protest. He was a guy, and it was embarrassing to have him pick me up. And what if those hands inched a little too close to my ass? But I was exhausted, both mentally and physically, so I let it slide a little.

The rhythmic thumping of feet on the pathway slowly lulled me to sleep. It had been a long day, and I just wanted it to end. I laid my head against the man's arm as I tried to think of happier things… Flowers…kittens…flesh-eating monsters… Dammit!

This was obviously not working. To busy myself with other thoughts, I decided to try and strike up a conversation with the boy.

"So…" I had a hard time thinking of what to say, "How did you find me?"

The youth smirked slightly and shrugged, "Well, Katie knew where you were… at least she _thought_ she did."

I heard a tired "I did" from the girl, but it seemed like she was just as exhausted as I felt.

He continued, "So we got lost for a bit. But once we got close, we just followed the sound of your crying… it was pretty loud, you know."

I was _that_ loud? Huh. "Oh… well, thanks for getting me. I probably would have been out there all night."

"Aw, it was no trouble. I'm just surprised at how well you handled that monster, being your first time and all."

"First…time?" I didn't remember telling him that.

He looked at my expression and quickly stated, "Katie told me about your little chant. About how you haven't run into one monster yet? I'm superstitious, but that just seemed too good to be true." He grinned, "Looks like I was right, huh?"

Realizing what he meant, I answered, "Well, I didn't mean it _seriously_. Monsters aren't real, right? There must be some explanation for that… it must be a freak thing…"

His expression turned apologetic, with a hint of pity. "…You're not from around here, are you?"

His words made my blood run cold. How could he tell...?

Seeing my reaction, his face fell into another easy grin, "Anyone from this area knows that monsters come out at night. Heck, they even come out during the day, depending on how far from town you are. But they aren't much of a threat if you have the right weapon… It's the Desians you have to watch…"

His grin slowly turned into a thin, hard line. I felt as though I knew what he was talking about, but couldn't quite pin it down. I could also tell that he didn't want to talk about this 'desians', but I had to figure out this déjà vu that kept nagging at me. There were so many unanswered questions…

"What's a 'desians'?" I whispered, careful not to upset him.

To my complete surprise, he started laughing. Why was he laughing? It was a serious question!

He calmed down a little, wiping a stray tear from his eye.

"-Ahaha! Sorry, sorry- heh - it's just… It's _desian_. Desians would be the plural." He started another round of sniggering, which left me dumbfounded.

I got the joke, but I could hardly see what was so funny. He first acted as though these desians were horrible, nasty creatures, and now he was _laughing_ at them? This boy was too confusing…

I coughed, "Yeah… Anyway, I'm feeling a lot better now. I think I can walk the rest of the way…"

He looked stunned for a second, as though he had forgotten he had even been carrying me. Then he quickly set me onto my feet.

"S-sorry. I totally forgot about that." He rubbed the back of his neck then suddenly looked back to Katie, as if remembering that she was here too.

"How are you doing back there, Kat? Don't worry, we're almost home."

I heard a loud yawn, "I'm… good… big broth… er…"

It was then that I realized how late it was. I checked my watch; it said 4:30… but I doubted that it was right. It must have gotten smashed during the fight… or maybe when I passed out.

I sighed. There goes another broken watch… my mom would be so mad.

"Uh-huh. Suuure… C'mon, I'll carry you."

Without protest, she scrambled onto his back and laced her arms around his neck.

It wasn't long before I heard faint snoring from the small child.

"So, anyway, where are you staying? The inn?"

I mulled that question over. Where was I staying? Raine had paid for my room tonight, but what about when they left…? I decided I would just have to sleep outside.

"Tonight, yeah. I was planning on leaving tomorrow, but if there are monsters out there, it could…complicate things…"

As I spoke, we reached the front door of another small, wooden shack. It must be their house, I realized.

It had small pots of flowers and herbs strewn across the lawn and sweet-smelling spices hanging from the roof, giving the home a welcoming aroma. The front window had no glass, I noticed for the first time. I peered inside to see a rather heavy-set woman in the kitchen, seemingly puttering around cleaning the already immaculate table and straightening the potted flowers.

The boy-I still hadn't gotten his name- opened the door with one hand, while keeping his other on Katie. He strode through the door, kicking off his muddy boots.

"Lewis! How many times have I told you to wipe your feet? I just mopped these floors and you waltz in he-" She met my gaze for a moment, and looked back to Lewis.

"Where are your manners, young man? Bringing a guest into our home without a proper introduction?" Lewis just rolled his eyes and walked toward one of the small beds in the corner, carefully prying Katie off of his back and tucking her in.

She shook her head at him and turned toward me. Her eyes shined with enthusiasm and warmth, and her plump cheeks were cheerfully rosy. Like a female Santa Clause…

"I'm so sorry for my son's rudeness… I'm Martha. Now, how can I help you at such a late hour?"

"I, ah. I'm Claire. I was wondering if you had any bandages. It would be very helpful."

She looked over my bloodstained form for a moment, then left to get some cloth.

Lewis walked over from the small beds and leaned against the table. He was probably trying to keep me company in this new place, for which I was grateful.

I smiled, "So…Lewis? You look more like a Henry to me, but I won't judge."

"Oh, that's right. You never got my name… Henry, huh? Well, I guess I could see it." He laughed, "Lets see… you could pass for… Vivian?"

I crinkled my nose and shook my head, "That sounds pretty stuffy. Like a princess or something." Looking down at my ravaged shirt, I did a fake curtsy and put on a British accent.

"Princess Vivian… Charmed, I'm sure." I did a little flourish with my hand.

He chuckled lightly, raising one eyebrow, "Is blood the new fashion statement around these parts?"

"Oh yes. Only the most stylish of people can pull off the 'I-almost-got-killed' look."

We both laughed.

It felt so good to laugh. I was surprised at how my mood had improved since the incident. Talking to Lewis was a good distraction for when I was feeling depressed, but I knew that I would have to face my demons eventually. Although, I supposed a little procrastination never hurt anyone…

Lewis turned toward where Martha had gone. He looked back and shook his head,

"Sorry about mom. She can get a little fussy when I come home late, but she means well."

"Oh, it's alright. My mom is… the same way." I felt my blissful grin slump at the mention of my mother. I cursed myself for saying things like that. Talking about my mother was a forbidden subject. It brought up too many questions… what is she doing? Does she miss me? How is the rest of my family? Questions that ripped my heart into shreds.

Lewis saw my uneasiness about the topic and attempted to steer the conversation away, for which I was once again very grateful.

"Yeah, well… I'm sure she'll be able to bandage those wounds in no time. We don't have an official doctor in the village, but my mom can fix most non-fatal wounds."

I nodded and gazed down, still lost in thought about my mother.

"Yeah…thanks…" I mumbled. What was my mother thinking of right now? Me? Her missing baby girl? It was all my fault…

He raised an eyebrow and nodded. Seeing that our conversation was done, he left me to brood at the table and went over to the kitchen, pulling a teapot out of the cupboard.

"You want some tea?" He said carefully, as if one word could set me off.

Of course he would think that. He probably thinks there's something wrong with me. We were having such a nice conversation, and I get emotional over the mention of one word. I was being selfish.

"Oh, no thanks." I gave a timid smile.

I could brood about things all I want, but it's not going to fix anything. Only action could fix things. But how did sitting here, having tea, help me at all? I suppose once I get my wounds treated, I could leave. But what about after that? I was stuck in this village until I found a way to avoid these monsters… and 'desians'. Whatever those were…

I looked up and smiled more broadly. I was going to have a positive outlook this time. Brooding never solved anything, after all.

Seeing that I was at least making an effort, Lewis brought his cup of tea back to the table.

"Ah, I see Claire has woken up. Did you have a nice nap?" He chuckled at his little joke, but still kept his concerned expression.

I managed a nervous laugh, "Yeah, I'm good now. I'm so sorry about that… I'm just so exhausted."

He waved his hand, as if to say 'It's no big deal'. But when I turned away, he still looked at me from the corner of his eye.

I heard a noise from the other room, and looked over to see the door creak open. Martha stepped out, backside first, hauling a huge crate that appeared extremely heavy. She looked up, sweat dripping down her bright red face.

"What are you just standing there for, boy? Won't you help your poor old mother?" She said between huffs of air.

Lewis quickly got up to help his mother. She dumped the enormous crate into his arms, and he fell back a few feet before steadying himself. I chuckled under my breath.

Martha glanced at my empty hands, and turned to glare at the struggling boy.

"You didn't offer our guest anything to eat? Goddess, sometimes I feel like what I say just bounces right off of you!"

"I-ugh-I did. She said she didn't want any!" He said as he slowly made is way over to me.

"It's true, Miss. But thank you for all of your hospitality. I don't think I deserve all this, but I appreciate it." It was true. I didn't deserve the kindness this woman was showing. Or anyone, really. Raine had given me a place to stay, and I was a bitch in return. And I had put this woman's child in danger today, yet she wanted to bandage my injuries and give me food?

It suddenly occurred to me that I could have just asked Raine to heal my wounds. Well, it was getting late, and she might be asleep. Not to mention the fact that we weren't on the best terms at the moment.

"Nonsense, dear! I'm always glad to have company. Now, lets see those wounds."

She dug into her huge crate and pulled out a roll of bandages. I held out my arm as she poured hot water and cleaned the wounds. Meanwhile, she asked me to chew one of the red slimy balls that we had found with the zombie. She called them 'apple gels'. And when I asked if it was sanitary to eat something found in a monster's pocket, she only laughed.

"Isn't she a funny girl?" She said with a chuckle.

But Lewis just stared. I could see that he knew I wasn't joking.

"Where did you say you were from?" He asked casually.

"I'm from…Luin." I answered after a pause, "Actually, I was planning on leaving tomorrow. But I think I may stay a bit longer."

"All on your lonesome? My, my. What a courageous girl. Why, I remember when I went out on my first pilgrimage. With nothing but the bow on my back…" Martha reminisced, getting up to pour more water.

"But I'm much too old to handle a weapon like that. Now, Lewis uses it more than I do. Although he prefers that fancy new sword of his."

Lewis rolled his eyes and got up from the table. He was obviously used to hearing his mother talk about this.

Martha looked to Lewis, and continued talking, "In fact, weren't you getting ready to go on a pilgrimage of your own, son? What did you call it…? An adventure? Ah, yes that was it." She fought back laugher as she dabbed my arm with a wet rag. "My son, the adventurer. Never could sit still, even as a child."

I thought about this new information. Lewis could wield a sword… he wanted to go on an adventure… he was a nice guy…

Well, it was worth a shot.

"You're going on a pilgrimage?" I said, feigning surprise, "Do you think I could tag along…? At least part of the way?" I showed a pitiful expression, attempting the puppy dog eyes I had seen Colette do this morning.

If this worked, I could make it to Luin, at least. I just wanted to make it out of this town, because I _know_ this place isn't my home. And as long as it's out there, was going to keep looking for it.

He looked at my face with a deadpan stare. "That would mean packing _double_ the food. Not to mention the fact that you know nothing about weaponry, or monsters in general. And what about clothing, shelter, and lodging?" He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Do you have money for any of that?"

I wasn't expecting that response. "Well, actually, I don't have any money with me…"

"So you're asking me to pay for your food and housing on a trip I've been saving for _years _to go on? And I just met you a half hour ago?"

"I…I'm sor-"

"You're sorry? You're _sorry_? Have you thought about this at all? How long I've saved for this trip? I don't even know who you are, and you're asking me this?"

I shrunk back, visibly shocked by his sudden outburst.

Martha reached over and gave him a swift smack across the head, calming him down a bit.

"Now, quiet down. You'll wake Katie." She nodded toward me, "Listen to what she has to say before you go losing your temper."

I was getting a little irritated with Lewis' anger issues. I put my hands on my hips and gave him an annoyed glance. "Look, it was just a suggestion, alright? You don't need to get all worked up about it. Just forget it ever happened."

But he didn't seem to want to let it go. He crossed his arms and sulked childishly.

Martha shook her head at his juvenile antics and turned toward me. "You know, if you wanted to go on a pilgrimage, many people pay for tour groups. I heard the cathedral in Palmacosta is where you sign up."

I nodded politely, although I knew that it probably wasn't going to work. I didn't have any money to pay for food, let alone a pilgrimage. I didn't even want to think of how much that would cost…

Martha finished wrapping the bandages, but didn't seem to want our conversation to end. "Well, it looks like we're all done here! Oh, but you must be hungry after all that excitement…Do you like soup? I can make soup."

I shook my head. "I actually need to-"

"Oh, but it would make you feel much better! Alright, I'll make you some soup."

She released me from her arms and bustled into the kitchen, apparently bent on making me soup.

"W-wait! No, I…" But it was too late. She was already gone.

Now alone with Lewis, I felt the awkwardness sneaking up on me. I hated awkward silences, but there was nothing to say to Lewis. And something told me that he was still mad about my inquiry.

I stood up, "Maybe I should go…"

He didn't move. He only motioned toward the door with his hand, not bothering to look me in the eye.

I took the message, and pushed in the chair. "Would you tell Martha that I was very grateful for the bandages, and that I had a lot of fun with Katie today?"

He nodded, and left it at that.

Feeling awkward again, I hurried toward the door. Shutting the door behind me, I heard Lewis mutter, "Goddess, why _now_…" I quickly closed the door and walked away.

Walking back to the inn, I thought about what I had said. It didn't sound too unreasonable… I couldn't see what he had gotten so mad about. Either way, I blew one of the only chances that I was going to get. I would just have to go alone… and just try to avoid the monsters. If I just walked fast during the day, and found a safe hiding place at night, I might survive… I thought back to what Lewis had said.

_…what about clothing, shelter, and lodging?_

He was right. I had never given one thought to how I would get food and shelter. And clothes? I looked down at my shredded shirt and sighed. It would all cost money. And money was the one thing I didn't have.

Clutching my arms to protect from the bitter night air, I walked to the entrance of the inn. It would probably be around eleven, but I wasn't completely sure. Would the others still be awake?

I walked into the lobby and instantly spotted the semi-familiar spike of red hair. I froze.

Of all of the people to run into, it had to be Kratos? He was sitting in a small chair on the far corner of the room, reading what looked like an encyclopedia. The book he held was shielding me from his vision…maybe I could sneak past him.

I tiptoed to the door on the other side of the room, careful not to draw any attention to myself. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to Kratos, especially after everything that had happened today.

I was reaching for the doorknob, thinking I had finally made it, when a cold, stern voice froze me in my tracks.

"Lack of sleep hinders your judgment and slows your reflexes. It would be unwise to stay up any longer." Kratos still had his nose in the book, so I couldn't be sure who he was talking to. But there was no one else in the room, so it was pretty clear.

"Oh, uh. Sorry…"

Kratos looked up, his face passive. "It is not me you should be apologizing to. The Chosen seemed rather upset with your little outburst this afternoon."

"Huh. Two people in one day… It must be a new record," I mumbled, opening the door to my room.

"Claire." He stated as I turned to leave.

I was getting a bit irritated. I just wanted to go to bed, dammit!

"What?" I snapped impatiently.

Kratos glared and continued, "If you would like to say goodbye to the others, we are leaving at noon. I'm sure they would be pleased to have you there, even knowing you for such short time."

I started feeling ashamed for my outburst. He was just trying to help me, and I had yelled at him…

"O-oh…thanks, Kratos. I'm sorry… I guess I'm just a little impatient today. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

Kratos simply went back to reading, "It is of little consequence."

Kratos was actually somewhat kind? Struck with unexplained curiosity, I walked over to where Kratos was sitting. He was just so…secretive? I wanted to know what he was hiding.

"Kratos, what is your relation to Colette?"

He gave me an unreadable expression, and sighed. "There is none. I am a mercenary. It is only a job."

I nodded, perplexed. "So, you took this job because of the money?"

"Yes." He seemed to want to leave it there. But I didn't want to stop talking. It was my first real conversation with the mercenary, and I wanted to know him; at least before he left tomorrow. I wracked my brain for subjects to talk about.

"So…I was just wondering…how do you get your hair like that?" His head immediately snapped from his book. I gave a triumphant grin. Jackpot.

"Pardon?" He said, his eyes not leaving mine.

I looked down, not wanting to meet his glare, "Well, I was thinking about it earlier, and you have some crazy spiky hair… I just wanted to know how you did it."

There was a pause, and I heard a low sigh. "Shouldn't you be getting to bed?"

There was no way I was giving up that easily.

I looked up and gave him a pleading look, while trying to hide my grin, "Aw, c'mon. There's no way that's natural. I won't tell anyone if you use hair products. I _promise_!"

He got up from his place and walked across the space, stopping at the door to his room.

"Goodnight, Miss Wagner. I suggest you retire soon as well."

"Thanks…" I sighed. So much for that plan. Well, at least I got a few laughs out of it.

He opened the door and gave a small, "Hmph," before finally leaving me by myself.

Standing by the empty chair, I told myself to listen to Kratos and just go to bed. But I knew that with sleep came nightmares. And I wasn't sure that I was ready for _that_ yet.

Staying awake was more of a challenge than I thought, and soon my legs were burning from the bandaged wounds. I sat in Krato's chair and lay my head against the wooden back. Staring at the lines in the wooden ceiling, I allowed myself to think of my family.

I thought of my sister, Mary, who I had always promised to protect… But how can I protect her when I didn't even know where she was? Where _I_ was? It seemed like a lifetime, but it was only a few days ago that I had seen her. At least…I _thought_ it was…

Drifting unwillingly off to sleep, my thoughts of Mary started to blur and morph into something entirely different, until I wasn't completely sure what it was. A unicorn entered my vision as I watched Mary standing in the midst of a small field. The unicorn, stopping suddenly, turned to Mary and looked her in the eye with a knowing glance. It said something, but everything was getting increasingly foggy. The picture blurred and faded until I couldn't see anything but colors and shapes…

Giving up on ever understanding the meaning of this scene, I let the colors fill my mind and lull me into a peaceful sleep…

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><p><strong>That Kratos scene was <em>begging<em> to be written. You gotta love awkward Kratos :) Reviews are pretty much the sole purpose of my existance(you think I'm kidding), so please, review!**


	4. Monetary Gains

**Author's Notes: **Remember that chick with the crappy self insert? Well, she's back! Excited? No? That's okay.  
>I've been pretty busy lately, with exams comin' up... y'know studying and such. *glares at chem book*<p>

Chem Book: *whimpers* You think I wanted this? I wanted to be a cookbook!

Whatever. Aaand I've been pretty distracted by these dang oneshots popping up and ruling my mind for the past couple of weeks. But I am glad to _finally_ get the ball rolling.

Before we get started, I want to thank all of my lovely reviewers. oursolemnour49, Link Hoshi, Undead Mammal, and the fifth kazekage, thanks so much for your imput! Seriously, you guys rock. :)

Disclaimer: I own Tales of Symphonia. Ha, psych!

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><p>Waking up from a night spent on a wooden chair is never very enjoyable.<br>Especially if it's accompanied by my favorite group of annoyingly loud travelers.

"Was she here all night?"

"I don't know… should we wake her?"

Nooo just let me sleep…

"Hmph. I told her to get some sleep… but this was not what I had in mind…"

"Well, it's almost eight. She should be awake by now."

Eight? As in, eight in the morning? Dear lord, that was early. I didn't want to get up, but remembering that they were leaving at noon, I decided that it was probably the best idea.

"You all know I can hear you, right?" I mumbled.

Silence filled the room.

Grinning slightly, I cracked open my eyes and stretched my legs. The stiffness in my back was annoying, but manageable.

The group was staring blankly, obviously embarrassed that their conversation was overheard. I looked up and raised an eyebrow.

Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Oh, Claire… You're awake…"

"Yeah. Some jerks were talking too loud and woke me up," I muttered, rubbing my stiff back.

Genis put his tiny hands on his hips. "Well, maybe if you would fall asleep in a bed like a _normal_ person…"

I grinned, oddly chipper considering how early it was. "I do have a habit of falling asleep in strange places, don't I? Okay, I'll work on that."

Lloyd gave me a strange look and shook his head. "You dork."

My grin grew wider as I pushed him lightheartedly.

It didn't make sense that I was in such a good mood, considering everything that had happened. Not only was I injured, but I was also planning on going through a possibly life-threatening trip without money for food or clothing.

But I was tired. I was tired of brooding and depressing everyone with my situation. I figured that if these people were going to leave soon, then I should at least be optimistic. At least I was alive, right? I wasn't rabbit food, and I wasn't ripped to shreds. I would rather hope that it would work out than constantly stress over it.

And, honestly, I was just incredibly relieved that I was able to make it through the night without a single nightmare.

Colette came slowly to the front of the group, guilt written all over her face. "Claire, I am so sorry for upsetting you yesterday. I… I shouldn't have troubled you with that story."

I frowned. Was she going to beat herself up over everything I did?

"It's not your fault at all, Colette. Please, don't ever think that my breakdowns are your fault. I guess I was a little… ah, tired…?" The sentence unintentionally trailed into a question. It seemed like that was my excuse for everything lately.

Colette nodded, her expression lightening a bit. Well, I would have to make it up to her later. Right now, I wanted a few hours of cheerful time.

I suddenly noticed that there was an unpleasant, coppery taste in my mouth- probably because I hadn't eaten in a while. My stomach wasn't growling too much, but my throat was dry and coarse, and my tongue felt like sandpaper. It occurred to me that I hadn't eaten in a whole day…

Before I could broach the subject, my stomach let out a large snarl, answering for me. "So, uh… What's for breakfast?" I laughed.

Lloyd's expression darkened. "Well…Raine made some _pancakes_…"

"B-but they're probably cold by now! You wouldn't want cold food, right?" Genis quickly stated, eyes darting from Raine to the kitchen.

I shrugged. Honestly, I didn't really care if it was cold. I was just happy that they were feeding me. "I don't really care. Pancakes sound pretty good."

"No, it's alright. Here, I can make you something," he gave a fleeting smile as he grabbed my arm and ushered me toward the inn's kitchen.

Raine huffed impatiently as the group shuffled into the kitchen, which was more like an empty room with a stove and a table. "I'm sure they would be _fine_ if we just warmed them up. And I would love to have someone other than you four to test my cooking. Your opinions of my culinary abilities tend to be a bit exaggerated."

Genis looked to Raine, nervousness leaking through his seemingly carefree exterior.  
>"But, sis…you put squid in them, and that's not-"<p>

"I'll have you know, squid adds plenty of texture and it is an efficient use of the seafood that we had bought yesterday!" She gave a somewhat crazed glare.

Ah, now I see. Raine's cooking must be pretty awful…

Genis looked horrified by his sister's outburst. He bit his lip and attempted to speak again. "But-!"

"-And Colette seemed to enjoy it… isn't that right, Colette?" She stopped Genis and looked to Colette, smiling pleasantly.

Colette, who had by then abandoned her unnaturally gloomy mood, nodded her head eagerly. "Oh, of course, Professor!"

Lloyd looked unconvinced. "Colette, you barely touched your food."

"Ah, well I wasn't that hungry… But it _was_ good." She giggled and smiled innocently, her massive blue orbs giving off a look of sincerity.

Lloyd just shook his head. I had a feeling there was more going on than just a lack of appetite… Maybe Colette had an eating disorder?

As Genis dug through his bag, we sat down at the small table and started idly chatting. Most of their conversation went right over my head, as they were talking about which route would make for a quicker journey and which towns would have an ample amount of supplies. I stayed quiet for the most part, sometimes interjecting when the conversation called for it.

Genis took out a few eggs, and began carefully cracking them into a small, metal pan. Raine and Kratos were discussing possible seals, and Lloyd had begun a completely different dialogue with Colette. I faintly noticed that Kratos had made a habit of smoothing his hair down every few minutes, and wondered if I could possibly be the cause of it.

I quickly dismissed the thought. There was no way a man like Kratos could be affected by the words of a snotty teenage girl, after all.

Knowing that I was probably unable to contribute to any of their conversations, I started to zone out. My eyelids grew heavy as I fought to stay awake.

"And after crossing the… uh, Claire?" My eyes snapped open, and I immediately realized that I had been falling asleep.

"Mm? I…I'm awake… I'm awake!" I said, raising my head from the increasingly inviting wood table.

Lloyd snorted. "No one said you weren't. We were just asking what your plans were. You know, after we leave?"

I rubbed my eyes groggily. "Oh. Well, um…" I really hadn't thought that far ahead. To be honest, I was planning on running like hell and hoping I would get lucky and find a town. Oh, and mooch off of kindhearted travelers. That too.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I just have to find some way to make money, and then…find a way home, I guess."

Colette turned to me, her perpetual smile still in place. "Are you sure you're going to be safe out there?"

"Speaking of safety…" Raine narrowed her eyes as they landed on the filthy bandages wrapped around both of my arms. Crossing her arms, she let out a frustrated sigh.

"Didn't I heal you yesterday? What exactly were you up to while we were gone?" Her glare was paralyzing.

Oh, shit. I attempted to cover the bandages subtly. "N-nothing. I did nothing, heh heh. Just…um, having some fun?" Wow, I pulled that one out of my ass. At least Raine wasn't trying to make any more food…

Lloyd blinked. "Oh, yeah. Now that you mention it, she does look kind of… beat up? What happened?"

I guess it didn't really matter if they knew, but I hated being fretted over. Looking down in embarrassment, I wished they could just drop the subject. I mean, I was fine now. There was no need to bring back those memories.

"I had a little bit of a… monster run-in. But it was fine; I handled it. No big deal." I waved it off and put on my most convincing smile.

Although, my leg still stung pretty badly… I vaguely wondered if Raine had any pain-relievers available. I doubted it. If they didn't even have decent utilities, there was little chance that they had any modern medicines.

Lloyd looked to me with a bemused expression. "Wow! A monster, huh? How did that work out?" It shocked me how little this news affected them. If I had told my family that answer, they would have put me in a nut house.

I pointed to my bandaged arm as Raine picked up her staff. "Does this answer your question? It hurt like hell."

He nodded, his amused grin still firmly in place. "Yeah, I remember the first time I tried to fight a monster."

He winced slightly as he reminisced. "I fell right through the schoolhouse… Professor had me doing extra homework for weeks."

"Ew…" I didn't think that my situation could possibly get any worse, but adding homework seemed like a guaranteed method.

"Well, these scratches aren't so bad...now that I know how much _worse_ it could be." I said, rubbing the bandage absentmindedly.

Raine rolled her eyes and held her staff up to my leg, muttering a few words under her breath.

"Uh…guys?" I whispered, "Is Raine okay?" The others laughed, and I looked at her as if she had just grown two heads. What was she doing? Was this some sort of religious ritual?

I promptly noticed that there was a faint green glow that seemed to be coming from the massive jewel that adorned the tip of her staff. The ground below her feet shone a faint white hue, and I looked on in amazement as she put her staff down and took off the grimy bandages.

The angry red marking had mysteriously disappeared, as well as the deep gashes covering my body. The only evidence left of the injuries was the faint bloodstain left over the top of my wounds. It was completely healed…

"O-oh my god," I murmured, mostly to myself.

"There we are. Now if you could just- eh? What's wrong?"

"Wh-what's _wrong_? You've just performed a miracle!" I looked at Raine with a whole new level of respect. This woman must be some sort of _wizard. _

"I suppose magic is a relatively uncommon skill, but I would hardly call it a miracle," She scoffed.

I shook my head and tried to reason with her. "No, Raine. Really, I think you have a gift. I mean, I've seen magicians, but they have nothing on you. You're like…you're like a female Jesus!"

The room became silent as they looked to me in baffled silence.

Lloyd scratched his head. "Jee-zus…?"

I waved it off. I would rather not try and explain a complicated religion to people who had probably never heard of it. I mean, it took me ten years of religious education to find out that there was _actually_ no magic talking snake that convinced the first humans to commit sin. Who knows how long it would take to teach it to _Lloyd?_

"Never mind, Lloyd." I turned toward Raine. "My point is, there aren't many magicians as good as you. You know, there is a huge market in children's parties…" I stopped because she was giving me some sort of odd half-glare.

"If this is your form of a joke, then it is neither appropriate nor humorous."

Scowling slightly, I crossed my arms and grunted. The last part was a bit of a joke, but I still hated when people didn't take my questions seriously.

"Seriously." I tried to give a sincere expression. "I'm just trying to know how you did it… I mean, the glow in the jewel is obvious, but the light on the floor…"

I contemplated for a moment then shook my head. "I just can't figure it out. I know, magicians aren't supposed to reveal their secrets, but… I'm really stumped."

She gave an exasperated sigh. "It's only magic, Claire."

"Yes, but it's _cool_ magic. Just tell me how you did it! Please?" I was really beginning to wonder how she was able to create that kind of illusion… but every solution I came up with seemed stupid.

Genis looked over and cracked a small smile. "You…you think magic is cool?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, I took a class once, but the only thing they taught me were these cheap card tricks…and I'm pretty sure I forgot most of them…"

He hopped up eagerly, almost spilling the eggs from the pan. "I can show you my magic if you want! I've been practicing my fireballs a lot!"

I stopped to gawk for a moment. The way he spoke… He was reminding me more of my sister every day…

I quickly snapped out of my reverie. "That…sounds like fun. Will you teach me how to do it?"

He seemed taken aback by my request. "W-well, if you _can_… It's a lot harder than it looks." He gave a confident smirk.

I feigned annoyance. "Why must you doubt my paranormal abilities?"

He shrugged, dumping the finished eggs onto a small plate. "Oh, I don't doubt. I _know_."

"If a twelve-year-old kid can do it, then I'm sure I'll be fine," I scoffed.

There was no way I was going to be shown up by a _kid_. It may have been a bit childish, but I was determined to verify my self-sufficiency in some way. Although, I was becoming increasingly worried at what making 'fireballs' might entail.

Genis walked over and set the plate down. "Okay, then. You can try, I guess…"

Well, I _had_ taken classes… Of course, that was when I was seven. And they were only card tricks… and there were no cards with me right then. Meh, I'm sure it would work out.

Lloyd seemed apprehensive about our little argument. He tapped my shoulder tentatively and whispered, "Er, Claire? You know Genis is an elf, right…?"

I rolled my eyes and snorted. "_Right_, Lloyd. And I'm a sparkly unicorn."

It was ridiculous how far these people went to look 'mystical', or whatever the hell they were doing. To be honest, it was tiring having to put up with their childish fantasies about 'elves' and 'magic'.

I had long since accepted the fact that I could quite possibly be in another world or time…but telling me that these people were _elves_? I was more than a bit skeptical.

Kratos stepped to the front of the group. "We don't have time for such idleness. There is still a large amount of packing that needs to be done. And Lloyd still needs his training, if you haven't forgotten."

I watched as I picked at my eggs, eager to see what kind of relationship these people had. They were a lot like characters in a story, which made it fascinating to observe. There was the brave hero, Lloyd, -or maybe Kratos- the clever sidekick, Genis, and the beautiful princess, Colette. And Raine could be the… comic relief character? No, definitely not. I suppose she would be the rational, no-nonsense character.

"Argh, I hate training," Lloyd grumbled, "Kratos, can't we just relax for a little bit? I trained yesterday!"

"No. A good swordsman must never cease their training. It is imperative that you stay attentive to your skills." He gave the boy a stern look and promptly stepped out of the room, with Lloyd glaring after him.

Genis, who was now cleaning the plates with water that I hadn't noticed there before, snickered at Lloyd's misfortune. "I don't know why you argue anymore. You know he's going to win."

Colette patted Lloyd on the shoulder as he rose from his chair and gave a sympathetic smile. "He only does it because he cares about you. And, besides, you always say that you want to refine your skills. Now, Kratos can help you!"

Lloyd just continued to glare at Kratos' empty seat. "That bastard thinks he's _so_ much better than me. Just because he knows a few big words… And what the hell does 'imperative' mean, anyway?"

My mouth twisted as I fought a smile. "Er, so you guys use swords? Why not use, like, guns or something? You probably wouldn't have to train, except with aiming and stuff."

Genis clenched his fists. "Only the desians have technology like that."

I perked up when I heard the familiar name. Didn't Lewis say something about them? That they were awful creatures? I had concluded that I was supposed to stay away from them, but I had just assumed that they were some kind of wild beasts…mindless killers like the zombie that I had seen earlier. Hearing that they had technology, that they were _intelligent_, made them much more frightening.

My imagination went on a field trip as I tried to picture a creature that could be so horrible…

The room became still, and I suddenly became aware of my tactless comment. I always had a way of stopping conversations. I guess that's the only thing I kept with me when I came here. And I say 'came' very loosely. "Oh. Sorry, everyone."

Lloyd looked down, seemingly lost in thought. "I…better go train…" He quietly stood up and strode out of the room without another word.

Genis nodded, looking about as glum as his friend, and trailed after him.

I felt horrible. Obviously, the desians had some sort of impact on these people as well. I couldn't believe I had managed to upset every person in this group in _two days_.

Colette smiled, as per usual, and shook her head. "No, it's alright. You didn't know," She folded her hands in her lap.

"Yes," Raine said from beside me, and I jumped, nearly forgetting that she was there. "You see, they've had a bad experience with desians."

I nodded, afraid that I might set someone off if I talked anymore.

Colette's smile turned sad, almost forced. "Yeah, they broke the treaty and went to the human ranch. The desians…attacked the village, and the mayor blamed it on Lloyd."

Raine bristled. "The mayor is an ignorant fool."

The topic was dropped immediately and the room became still once again. I felt myself probing for a lighter topic.

"Are going to be at the next seal soon?" I asked Colette, hoping that she would have plenty of input on the subject.

"Oh, yes. I…hope so." She replied. The room became quiet again, and I started to feel stifled.

"Well, I think I'm going to get some fresh air." I said, clearing my throat and rising from the chair.

Colette nodded, her old optimism slowly returning. "Don't go too far! We leave in a few hours."

"Sure," I muttered absentmindedly.

As I closed the door to the inn, I could already hear the sound of metal on metal in the near distance, followed by cries of rage and various curses. I grinned, knowing exactly what could be making those noises. But I didn't want to see that. Not now, anyway.

I walked down to the beach and sat on the sand, remembering the similar beaches back home. Home…it was out there. Maybe close, maybe not, but it was there. It was a solid, tangible place. And I was going to find it.

The 'brood alarms' went off in my head, and I abruptly stopped my train of thought. No, I wasn't going to think about that.

I was going to think of the present, not mope over the past. I should be thinking of how to get out of this terrible mess.

Okay, problem number one: money. This village seemed too small to have decent work available, and any travel would be dangerous without protection of some sort… I decided to deal with this problem later.

Problem number two: getting home. I suppose I should have said 'figuring out where home is and _then_ trying to get there without dying'. But then, this also runs into my first problem, because even _attempting_ to get home would cost some form of money.

I ran through the possible solutions in my head. If I did nothing, waiting for my parents to come find me themselves, I would still have no food or shelter until that happened-which may not even happen at all. If I ran blindly, I would _still _have no food or shelter, with an even more unlikely chance of coming out alive.

So, then, there was no solution? I was just going to die here, away from my friends and family? And they wouldn't even know where I was, how I died, or if I missed them?

Maybe my parents thought I was already dead. Maybe they had caught the real kidnapper before he could do anything to me, but he had told them that I was already gone. Well, at least they would get closure early, rather than when they find the body later…

I shook my head, deciding in that instant that I had been watching too many episodes of 'Law and Order'. Of course they were still looking for me.

But would they find me…?

I didn't know how or why, but I was in what looked like a different world. A fairytale world. A world where zombies, angels, and swordsman were the norm, and modern technology was in the hands of cruel monsters. Then there would be no way they could find me here.

I considered, for a fleeting moment, that I had possibly gone insane. Perhaps this world was nothing but my own personal fantasy, and I was actually strapped down in a padded white cell somewhere, occasionally mumbling to myself about 'angels' and 'elves'. I thought I had seen a movie about that, once…

But, if I were insane, would I even be capable of thinking I was crazy? Wasn't that contradicting the whole point of hallucinating?

My head started to pound from the intense thought I was putting into this. I rubbed my temples and let out a tired sigh. I guess waking up and eight a.m. really has its disadvantages.

The wind whipped at my hair, sending the knotted mess into my face. I gave an irritable grunt and pulled my hair into a ponytail, not wanting to deal with brushing it at the moment. My overgrown bangs, still too short to be caught in the band, fell limply into my face. '_I would kill for a hairpin right about now_,' I thought absently, then laughed at myself for even thinking such a thing. It was ridiculous, wishing for a hairpin when I was in this situation…Ironic, even.

I heard someone approach from my left, but I didn't bother looking. It was probably Lloyd or Colette, coming to tell me their goodbyes. I hadn't realized that I had been out so long…

"Hey, Claire."

I frowned. That voice didn't sound like Lloyd. It sounded more like…

"Lewis?" My head snapped up and my frown turned into a bitter scowl.

Lewis was indeed there, standing over my form, blocking the warm sunlight and casting an icy shadow over me.

He grinned, almost cockily. "The one and only," He replied, making to sit down next to me.

"Fan…freaking…tastic," I muttered as I watched him get comfortable. I was still a bit annoyed with the older boy. After all, he _had_ basically thrown me out of his home after screaming my ear off…alright, maybe that was exaggerating a bit, but he _was_ being mean. I knew my stupid question was really to blame, but there was no reason to get so upset about it. And now he's smiling and joking like his breakdown never happened?

Lewis peered over and, seeing my less than amused expression, grimaced, "Aw, c'mon. You're not still mad about that silly argument, are you? Live and let live, that's what I say." He beamed proudly, resembling a world leader after giving a powerful speech. "Besides, I came to listen to your apology, so lets hear it."

I turned a shade redder. "If you think I'm _actually_ going to apologize to you, then…then you've got another thing coming!"

I cursed my lack of wit when it came to insults. I usually ended up saying the wrong things when I was mad, or sometimes stuttered aimlessly until the person on the receiving end was neither scared nor angry.

In fact, most of my arguments ended with the other person laughing and walking away.

And, just as I had feared, Lewis began laughing heartily. "Relax, Claire. I was just joking. The real reason I'm here is…well…" He rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly. "I…I guess I'm…" He continued to stutter, and I was starting to feel a bit sorry for him.

"I'm sorry!" He blurted, immediately gauging my reaction.

It took me a few moments to fully comprehend what he had said. He was…sorry?

"I-it's okay, I guess. I really shouldn't have asked you that in the first place. It was rude of me."

He shook his head, his pallor beginning to return to normal, "I understand, now, why you did it. It's because you're poor, right?"

I looked down self-consciously, embarrassed that he had said it so bluntly. "Uh, yeah…but how did you…?"

"Well," He said, rolling his eyes, "I was talking to Lyla this morning, and she said that Max said that he was giving some travelers a ride to Palmacosta."

I nodded, already having heard this information.

"And she had said that they were talking about some poor girl from Luin that they picked up…" He looked over to me.  
>"That would be you," he whispered.<p>

"Thanks, I got that," I said, grinning despite myself.

"Right. I figured it was you, so I started asking questions. But Lyla wasn't much help. She's been so preoccupied since Aifread left." His eyes narrowed as he recalled the name. "I never did like that guy, and neither did Max. But, you know, Lyla became so obsessive…"

I coughed not so subtly. Lewis looked over and smiled.

"Sorry, I just get caught up, I guess," He admitted bashfully. "Where was I? Ah, never mind."

We stopped for a moment, neither of us knowing what to say.

"Do you know what a pilgrimage is, Claire?" His tone turned soft, wistful.

I shook my head, because I honestly had no clue. Of course, I knew of the pilgrimages on Earth, but who knew what these were like…?

"I figured you didn't. It's a journey to holy sites around Sylvarant, and its necessary for the followers of Martelism to go at least once in their lifetime."

It sounded identical to the pilgrimages back home. I guess this place really _wasn't _that different…

He gave a teasing grin, "I know, to people outside of the faith, it sounds pointless, but-"

"LEWIS!"

We both flinched and our heads whipped around, Lewis doing a facepalm.

"Oh, no. Not now…" He groaned.

"What? Who is it?" I asked hesitantly. He didn't exactly sound super enthusiastic, which made me a bit nervous.

He shook his head hopelessly. "You…really don't want to know."

A young girl, a few years older than I was, strode up with her hands firmly planted on her hips. Her short, crimson hair was mostly hidden by her tan bandana. She looked…a bit mean. But that could just be my first impression. "Lewis," She repeated, scowling slightly, "We have a problem."

Lewis rubbed his chin idly, "And by 'we have a problem' you mean 'you have a problem and need me to fix it', right?"

She snorted, "Of course."

The girl looked over, suddenly noticing that I was here, too, and pointed her thumb in my direction. "Who's the chick? New girlfriend or something?"

We both turned beet red, looking at anything but each other. I chose to stare and a small tuff of grass sticking out of the sand.

"N-no! Goddess, Lyla. Does everything in the world have to involve romance?" Lewis glared up and Lyla. "This is the poor girl from Luin that Max was talking about."

"Hm…Luin, huh?" Lyla gave me a sly smile that was beginning to creep me out. She grabbed my arm roughly pulling me up to eye level. "Hello, poor girl. Do you want to do me a huge favor?" She asked, her eyes widening in excitement.

I frowned, already getting sick of the 'poor girl' comments. It wasn't _my_ fault I had no money. "Ah, well I-"

"Of course you do! Here," She dug through her apron pocket, pulling out a pink envelope and handing it to me. "You see, this guy Aifread has recently returned to his hometown of Luin," she explained, "Max is too much of a wimp, and those brainless travelers refused to take this letter to him. They said it was 'not their problem' or something."

"Which it isn't," Lewis interjected.

She threw him a glare. "My lost money should be everyone's problem!" She turned back toward me, "Anyways, on your way back to Luin…can you drop this letter off?"

"Well…" I bit my lip, deciding to just be honest with her before I got into something that I would regret. "I can't exactly travel right now, what with all the monsters…"

She stared at me for a moment, contemplating my response. She then looked to Lewis. "You can fight, right? Take her to Luin."

He rolled his eyes. "Lyla, you know that you can't boss me around like you do to poor Max."

"But I _can_ overlook that debt you owe…"

He stopped, giving her an intrigued glance. "Hmm…go on…"

"_And _throw in some extra finances for the girl. How does two thousand sound?" She smirked, and I could tell that she had him wrapped around her finger. I stared at her, dumbfounded.

"What is so important that you would spend this much money for a _letter_?" I asked, still blown away that someone would spend _two thousand dollars_ for a random chick's travel expenses.

She frowned. "If you knew how much money that dirty scoundrel owed, you would understand."

Lewis gave me pondering glance and shrugged. "Make it three thousand, and you've got a deal."

I hung back, not saying anything while they bartered over my expenses.

I didn't particularly _like _being used for monetary gains, but I was glad that I was finally able to hope for things to get better. I supposed I really had Aifread to thank for this stroke of luck, reminding myself to hug him later.

They continued to negotiate for a while until, finally, they had reached a reasonable compromise. Once the final decision had been made, a grand total of four thousand, they shook hands to seal the deal.

And, as that one, insignificant handshake marked the beginning of my utterly insane journey, the only thought that could come to my mind was: _'I hope they sell hairpins in Luin…'_

* * *

><p><strong>I always loved Lyla. Her and Max have the funniest relationship. ^^ I apologize to any of you who haven't done the Aifread sidequest, cause there were some spoilers in there. <strong>

**Anyways, I love criticism(crazy, right?), so please, review!**


	5. The Open Road

**Author's Notes:** Hello, everyone! I'm back! And I have PLOT! Actual _plot_! XD

For starters, I would like to respond to my two(and practically only) reviewers.

oursolemnhour49/Link Hoshi (since you both asked the same question at one point): I'm not revealing _everything_ yet, since this kinda ties in with the idea that I had, but Claire will probably have little to no knowledge of Tales of Symphonia-which I guess makes it less of a self-insert, but whatever. And there will be much mayhem because of it, I promise! Believe it or not, I have many ideas about how this story is going to turn out. So I'm definitely _not_ going to be holding onto the canon like its my lifeline. ^_^

Also, I don't know if you've noticed, but I have recently changed the summary of the story. _I_ think it sounds better, but what do you think? I still have the old one saved, so it _no one_ likes the new summary, I can change it. Let me know which one is your favorite!

Thank you to everyone who has read this and enjoys it... Heck, even those who don't enjoy it! At least you're reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia...What...? I'm sorry, were you looking for something a little more interesting? Maybe a witty little remark about being 'too poor' or making some changes to the original plot and characters? Well, not today! I'm being an _individual :D_

* * *

><p>The final goodbyes weren't as tear jerking as I had originally expected. Just the usual 'good luck' and 'hope we see you soon', which were about as heartfelt as the farewell you give your extended family after a Christmas party. Of course, the only exception was Colette, who looked honestly depressed as she gave a final hug.<p>

It wasn't as if I was expecting these people to care very much. After all, I had only been with them for a day, and most of that day had been spent with Colette and Raine. But, still…even if I knew that they were leaving eventually, I was going to miss them.

I watched them off, waving and smiling like nothing was wrong. That was the proper thing to do, I reasoned. I knew Lewis was at his house, waiting, but I lingered at the docks until the boat was just a freckle on the ocean's visage. My mind was torn, wanting to rush over to Lewis' house, and yet, at the same time, wanting to delay for a bit longer.

Because, as much as I was thrilled to go on this trip, I was also petrified. I kept replaying all of the things that could go wrong in my mind, eventually scaring myself into a frenzy.

Zombies, like the one I had encountered.

Evil, mutant bunny rabbits with menacing crimson eyes, ready to rip me to pieces.

Desians, which were now only dark, sinister shadow figures, with large guns and advanced weaponry at their disposal.

These fears, which would only be childish nightmares in my world, were actual, legitimate dangers that could lurk around every corner. They were real. And I wasn't sure that I was ready for them, even knowing that Lewis was going to be there.

I looked back at the sea, and saw that the small fishing boat had by then disappeared over the horizon. It was getting late, and Lewis had said that he wanted to leave by nightfall. I determined that I had wasted enough time here. It was time to go…

Lewis was already packed and ready to go when I came to his door, waiting on the porch with his head propped up on one hand.

"What took you so long?" He grumbled, more teasing than angry.

I shrugged. "I guess I lost track of time. Did'ja miss me?"

"Yeah. There's a hole where my heart is supposed to be." He replied sarcastically.

"Well, I'll get you a picture to look at next time," I said.

He snorted and got up from his place on the ground. "No picture can replicate you're dazzling sense of humor. I mean, really. How old is that joke?"

We walked into the shack together, leaving our supplies on the porch. I noticed that Martha was nowhere to be found, and neither was Katie.

I frowned elbowing him subtly, "The joke wasn't _that_ old. It was funny, right? …Right?"

He sighed, passing me by as he took his jacket off. "Sure, Claire. Whatever you say…"

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm funny! That joke was funny!" I cried, my voice getting progressively louder.

He didn't respond, and I had a violent inclination to walk over and smack some laughs out of him.

As he sat down at the table and pulled out a tired old map, I peeked over his shoulder, hoping, maybe naively, that it might be different from the ones that I had seen.

It was not. But I wasn't too disappointed that my wishful fantasies weren't correct.

"Alright," He said, looking up at me, "You listening?"

I nodded, and he continued, "Well, since we don't have transportation by water, we'll just have to walk to Hima. Then, we'll take the forest path to Luin."

"But why the forest path?" I cut in, feeling like an idiot for asking obvious questions.

Lewis frowned and pointed to a red dot on the map. "That's why," he said, "The Asgard Human Ranch is right next to Luin, so we should try to keep hidden…just in case."

"O-okay…" I didn't want to ruin the mood with another stupid question. If he wanted to talk about what these 'human ranches' were, then I would let him… but, honestly, I knew that if I found out now, I would lose all of my resolve for this trip.

"Okay. Oh, and by the way…" He glanced over my wrinkled and torn clothing, "Mom said you could borrow some of her old clothes for now. Just until we can find a shop in Hima."

I frowned, suddenly becoming self-conscious about my tattered t-shirt and jeans. My nice new boots, although muddy and bloodstained, were still wearable. Although, I had to admit that a change of clothes would be terrific.

There was a limited selection in Martha's minuscule wardrobe, with most of the items much too large for me to wear comfortably. As I tried each piece on, I felt like a small child playing dress up with their mother's clothing. After extensive searching, I finally found a decent gray long-sleeved shirt that was about my size. The pants, however, were all much too large for me to wear. But I had to wear something…

Heaving a heavy sigh, I tucked the gargantuan shirt into the pants and tied a rope around it as a makeshift belt. That would have to do…at least for now.

Lewis eyed me incredulously as I came into view. "Er…nice outfit, Claire."

"Shut up," I snapped, "It's only temporary. And it's not like I have an extra pair of jeans lying around."

"Still…ah, whatever. I guess its time to leave, then," He grinned, rolling up the map. "I want to cover as much ground as I can before nightfall."

My heartbeat began to quicken as the possible immanent dangers began to flood into my mind once again. But I wasn't ready to go! Not yet!

"We don't have to go _now,_ do we? I…" I bit my lip, struggling to come up with a good excuse to stay a bit longer. "I…haven't eaten anything yet!"

Lewis simply raised an eyebrow. "_Really_, now?"

I started to ramble aimlessly. "Ah…yep! I'm _really_ hungry. Starving, even!"

"Well…" He said, crossing his arms, "I guess I'm a bit hungry, myself…"

I smiled, relieved that my plan had actually worked.

"Luckily, I packed some portable foods, so that we can eat while we travel!" He reached into his bag and handed me a small loaf of bread. "Eat up! Now, lets go."

But I just stood there with the loaf in my hand, stunned with a heavy ache in the pit of my stomach. Maybe it was from disappointment, or maybe dread. It could have even been hunger; I didn't really know. Lewis was determined to go now, and I knew that nothing would change his mind.

Grumbling to myself, I stuck the bread into my mouth and followed him out the door. "Wut abot Marfa n' Kat?" I mumbled, the bread still lodged in my mouth.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," He chided.

I swallowed. "What about your mom? And Katie…? Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

He shook his head. "Mom's working…she has to pick up extra shifts because I'm taking time off for this trip. And Katie…" He bit his lip. "We didn't tell her. You know, just in case…something happens…"

I started feeling increasingly guilty about taking Lewis away from his family. It was a bit ironic, considering that I was only doing it to get back to _my_ family. I was so…selfish.

"But don't worry," he said, taking my expression as one of worry, "We'll get back safe. I promise."

"I know… Well, I guess we'd better go now, huh?" I picked up one of the bags and smiled.

He smiled back, and we started down the road toward the town gate. I dared one last glance before we left, storing the image into my memory. It was a charming town, but I had never been more relieved to leave. Or more terrified…

* * *

><p>"<em>K-kill it<em>! Kill it, for Christ's sake! Oh, oh God. Ohh, God."

"Calm down, Claire. Its-"

"I'm gonna die! I'm GONNA DIE! Kill it! Stab it! Blow it up! I don't care, just get it OUT OF HERE!"

"Claire…I-"

"But I haven't even lived! I don't wanna die, I really don't! Ohhh, shit. Shit, shit, shit."

"_Claire._"

"WHAT?"

"I killed it…"

"…wha…?" I peeked my head out from behind the large rock that I had used as protection against that…that _thing_. "R-really…?"

Lewis nodded, a bit scratched up, but otherwise unharmed. He sheathed his sword and walked over, pulling me out against my will.

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder _how_ you were ever able to survive without me." His easy-going smile made me feel marginally safer than before. But…still…

"And you're _sure_ it's dead?" I replied warily.

He rolled his eyes and huffed, "_Yes_. Can we go now?"

I nodded, grasping my arms to stop the shaking. I didn't want to look back at the bloody white carcass that would bring back those memories…

"I don't see why you're freaking out about this," Lewis said, pulling out an apple gel, "When that wolf attacked earlier, you were fine. A bit freaked out…but mostly fine."

"This is much different," I argued, "I…hate r-rabbits…"

He gave me a strange look and shook his head, but didn't push the subject any longer. "Whatever. Lets just move on."

I was glad he was willing to drop the subject, although it probably made me look like a major sissy. Of course, I was never much of an outdoorsy type. I had always known this, but it had occurred to me for the first time that Lewis probably had no clue… In fact, the only time he had seen me in action was moments after I had beaten that zombie, and he hadn't even been there to see how terrified I was. He probably thought that I was some sort of badass zombie-slayer who went around killing monsters with my bare hands.

What a shock it must have been when he saw me cowering behind a rock at the sight of a _bunny_.

The idea was so ridiculous that I couldn't hold in my laughter, and my sudden outburst made Lewis jump.

"W-what's so funny?" He turned red, probably thinking that I was laughing at him.

I beamed at him, my past mood now forgotten. "Heh, oh, nothing. Just thinking about taking up a career as a zombie-slayer. I think it's my calling."

Things became quiet after that.

"Is she bipolar or something…?" I heard him mutter under his breath.

* * *

><p>We had been traveling together for a couple of days, with Lewis doing most of the navigating, fighting, cooking, laundry, lookout, and pretty much any other manual labor that was required. I felt bad, not doing anything, but I had never done chores before, and I had messed up horribly the first time I had cooked…<p>

After that, Lewis was adamant about doing _everything_. Which, I guess, was fine with me. Until…

"That's it!" wheezed Lewis, his arms and legs dyed crimson with blood. He had just fought off a large group of wolves and 'sidewinders', all on his own, while I hid in a nearby bush. He glared intently at my hiding place. "Claire, I'm teaching you how to fight," he declared.

I popped my head out from the shrub. "What? No, no, no, no. I suck at fighting!"

"Well," he said, "I'm un-sucking you. I just can't do this alone anymore. These monsters are getting tougher and tougher. I need some help or I'm not going to make it."

"But-!"

"No, Claire. You can either fight, or be used as bait. Choose one. Either way, you're not going to just sit there all day! I'm sick of it!" His nostrils flared, reminding me of that day when he had blown up at his house.

"But I like sitting…" I replied feebly.

Naturally, Lewis had won the argument without much protest. I was to start sword training that night, although I was already having plenty of doubts. Wasn't the whole point of Lewis coming to protect me from the monsters…?

"Alright, now practice your parry," he instructed as I tried to lift the gigantic metal weapon. The sun was already beginning to set, and we hadn't yet made a fire for the night.

"Lewis, I can't do this," I moaned, dropping the sword and sliding to the sweet, sweet dirt. My legs felt like they had been ripped clean off, although I knew that there were worse things…like _actually_ getting my legs ripped off. Still, we had been practicing for hours, and I had barely been able to lift the damn weapon without falling over two seconds later.

"Yes you can," he said, instantly switching from his carefree self into an insane tyrant, "You'd better, or you'll be doing twenty more pull-ups." I could have imagined a maniacal laugh coming shortly after, but it didn't appear.

I muttered a few expletives, snatching the sword off of the ground quickly. He knew my weakness, all right. Pull-ups sucked. The first time he had made me do them, we spent an entire hour trying to get to _two_. And then, once we had finally gotten back on the road, Lewis immediately began complaining about how _I_ had made us behind schedule. Like it was _my _fault that this 'teacher' thing was going to his head?

I had gotten somewhat used to Lewis' frequent outbursts, but that didn't mean I was going to put up with them.

"You know, I would, but… I can't feel my arms," I sneered, rubbing my eyes in a desperate attempt to stay alert.

"Hmph. This doesn't seem to be going anywhere," he sighed, sliding to the ground next to me, "Two days of training, and you can barely hold a sword… We must not be working hard enough!"

"Ah…I don't think that's it. I think we have _just_ the right amount of training, thanks."

"Maybe running laps or…"

"Lewis!"

He snapped his head in my direction, "What? You're obviously way out of shape. Anyone with eyes can see that."

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" I tugged self-consciously at my oversized shirt. I wasn't a stick, but I sure as hell wasn't _fat_.

He blinked, realizing what exactly he had said, "Oh! I- I didn't mean it like that. You're not… I mean, I wouldn't-"

"Save it." I spat, "I know perfectly well what you meant."

I got up from my place and wandered over to the campsite, deciding that setting up camp would be a fine distraction from Lewis' annoying mood. When he got like that, I found it best to just ignore everything that came out of his mouth.

After the fire had been made and the beds laid out, I began making dinner. Menial tasks helped clear my mind and keep my hands busy.

While bending over the nearly finished stew, the sharp click of footsteps on the dirt path made me flinch out of my daydream. But I wasn't too worried. The only other person who would be out in these parts was Lewis, and I was supposed to be ignoring him, anyway.

The soft clinking of the weapon against his side grew louder, and I turned around, an exasperated scowl planted on my face. "Just leave me alo-" I stopped my sentence in its tracks.

Bright blue hair. Lewis didn't have blue hair.

This wasn't Lewis.

The new person, who was actually a woman, smiled down at me, as an adult would a small child, "Ah, I see we have another inferior being that doesn't know how to speak to its elders. What is a little piglet like you doing so far from her pen?"

But I didn't answer, not right away. My mind was focused on the large blaster securely strapped to the woman's belt. The sheen of the metal, the size of the holster. Genis' voice broadcast through my mind like a stereo.

"_Only the desians have technology like that."_

Desian. _Desian_. This was a _desian_. This was a cruel, feared monster? It was a _person_?

"Y-you're-"

"Speak up, vermin. Didn't your parents teach you not to mumble?" she sneered, giving another sickly sweet smile.

I couldn't think. I couldn't move. '_Run'_, my mind kept telling me, 'G_o find Lewis_'. But my legs had other plans. They stayed, as if enamored by this woman's gentle tone. As if completely overlooking the malevolent gleam in her eye.

"Why…why are you…?" I couldn't complete the sentence. There were too many ways to end a sentence like that. Why are you here? Why are you doing this?

The woman eyed me up and down. "Hm. If you _must_ know, there were some prisoners who had recently escaped our humble ranch, and I was sent to see if any were being harbored in Izoold. But you…all alone like this…" She gave another menacing laugh that sent chills down my spine. "It's awfully suspicious, don't you agree?"

For a split second, my mind returned, and I lunged out of her reach in a desperate attempt to flee. But she was faster and stronger, pulling me by the nape of the neck as one would to a small animal. "Oh, my dear prisoner. Where do you think you're going?" She shook her head in mock disappointment, pulling me close to her scantily clad body.

"Let…_go of me_!" I screeched, swinging my arms around in a blind flurry.

But, despite my protests and cries of pain, she kept a firm hold of my collar as she took out a pair of rusty metal cuffs. "Your efforts are not needed. Lord Kvar will be pleased that one of his runaways has returned, and I might even get a promotion... So I guess I should be thanking you, kid."

"I'm not-!"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as the shackles clicked into place. "Don't try to tell me you're not who we're looking for. If the clothes didn't make it blindingly obvious, then your suspicious behavior just proved it even more."

I had to scream. I had to do _something. _But, once again, my eyes wandered to the enormous gun strapped to her hip and my confidence wavered. If I tried to run, she would shoot. If I tried to stay, Lewis might come back and likely die. If I went with her, then…I may get hurt…

"Okay…" I surrendered grudgingly. I knew that going with her would be the best option for everyone, even if I didn't like it. I had never belonged in this place, and now I was only shortening the inevitable, "…Okay, you can take me…"

The desian seemed mildly shocked. "Eh? _Really_? Well, you'd probably be the easiest human I'd ever captured! I guess we should-"

"NO!" A tall, wiry man with an ashy blonde ponytail jumped out of the bushes, making both of us flinch. He held a determined grin as he gripped his sword with both hands. Hold on…ashy blonde hair? Lewis?

"Get away from her, you filthy desian!" He snarled. His expression was startling, even for Lewis. His maniacal grin became even more disturbing as he twisted his sword in his hands.

The desian woman only scoffed, "Please. Put that thing down before you hurt yourself."

Lewis' eyes narrowed as he prepared for an attack, opting not to respond to the dig. This was a different person, one that I had never seen before. Lewis wouldn't ignore insults like that. He would get angry, let his temper get the best of him. He would throw another witty remark back, not stand there and take it.

The woman simply smirked and pulled out her blaster, and I could hear the soft hum of the charge as she powered her gun. But Lewis was fast, taking a swipe before the firearm could be powered thoroughly.

"Ugh! You'll pay for that, you pathetic inferior being!" The woman cried, clutching her wound with one arm and pointing her blaster with the other.

"Claire, go!" Lewis barked, his eyes not leaving the desian for one moment.

I looked between them for a moment and finally nodded, running behind a nearby tree. I didn't dare turn to look at the battle, choosing to just listen to the sound of their cries and the metal screeching as it collided with metal.

There was no way Lewis was going to win. She was fast, while he was slow and clumsy. She had probably had years of official training, and Lewis had been self-taught all his life. And, once she was finished with Lewis, she was going to take me away. I was going to be a prisoner at a _human ranch_…and not knowing what exactly that entailed made the possibility all the more frightening.

The screams and insults got progressively louder, and I covered my ears in an attempt to block out the noise. But the sound of the weapons still pierced through the barrier, and the shrill _ziiip _of the blaster made me wince with every shot.

_Lewis is going to die, and it's all my fault…_

_It's all my fault…_

My family was nothing. The zombie was nothing. The human ranch was nothing. Everything I had encountered in this insane place, everything that had once held some importance to me was no longer significant. Another innocent life was to be taken because of me. Martha would be heartbroken, and Katie… Another family was broken, because of me. And that was all that mattered at the moment.

My guilt overwhelmed me as I fought to keep myself from crying out and alerting the desian of my presence. That would be typical, wouldn't it? Ruining the only chance that Lewis had given me because I was scared? Because I wanted to cry?

I would have to run, before the woman stopped and realized that I was still here.

Standing up, I realized immediately what a stupid idea this was. Monsters came out at night, and I was unarmed and defenseless. But I had to try. I had to make an effort…for Lewis' sake.

With the colors of the setting sun now faded, leaving a dark, menacing cloud of trees to shield me, I slipped into the shade of night and ran. I ran, not for myself, but for Lewis. I ran for him, because that's what he had told me to do. I ran because I was selfish.

I ran because I was weak, and because I was truly a coward.

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><p><strong>Moar angst! Yaay! I feed off of angst. O_O <strong>

**Anyway, review!**


	6. Pulling Myself Together

**Author's Notes: **This chapter took waaayy longer than expected. Sorry! ^-^;

At first I was gonna blame it on finals... But finals ended, so I was blaming it on the extra work hours... Now I'm just gonna go ahead and say that it was because I'm lazy. XD

Recently, I've been thinking that I'll probably have to go back and fix a few things in my earlier chapters. You know, adding some detail and fixing grammar mistakes(I don't have a beta reader, so...) It shouldn't be _too _different. Nothing story altering, at least. Just a heads up because that means I'll probably be a little late in posting Ch7. Sorry~ :)

PS- Thank you all so much for reviewing, once again! oursolemnhour49 and Link Hoshi, I can't even believe you've been reading this long! ^^ Also, a shout-out to all of you silent readers. You guys are AMAZING!

So, here you go! The long-awaited chapter six is finally up!

Disclaimer: I don't own ToS. :P

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><p>Running. My night was spent running.<p>

I stumbled blindly, too scared to turn back and yet too clueless to know where to go. I was constantly tripping over loose branches and shrubs, tearing my oversized attire even more than it already was. But I didn't dare stop running, even for an instant. It was only a matter of time before something else came out and got me. Another zombie, or even a grasshopper. We had run into those mutant grasshoppers before, Lewis and I…

My mind came to a halt as I attempted to nullify the memories and pain. It wasn't right to try and forget. I should be cherishing the memories that we shared, not shutting them out…but I couldn't help it. It was like this whenever I was grieving the loss of a family member, trying to block out all of the memories I had of them. That was how I had always dealt with loss, even as a kid. It helped numb the pain, if only for a little while.

My breath became ragged as I dashed to safety, carefully keeping my mind a blank slate and focusing on the emerald blur of trees surrounding me.

As dawn approached, I breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground when the sun became visible over the horizon. I knew that wasn't safe, by any means. But I felt confident knowing that I had been able to make it through the night without being mauled to death. It was a success in my eyes.

Sleep came easily, even with the harsh morning sun beating down on me. My exhaustion impeded all thoughts as I drifted into an uneasy sleep…

* * *

><p>"<em>Do you really think this is her?"<em>

"_Dunno. Boss said it was a girl, so…"_

_Voices. There were soft whispers coming from outside. But I was tired, and I _did_ have a big test tomorrow…_

"_This is the place, isn't it?" Rough voices. Male voices…_

"_Gah, stupid branch! How the hell should I know? I can't make heads or tails of this place!"_

"_Quiet down, you two," admonished another voice, "We're supposed to be stealthy, not wake the whole town!"_

"_Y-yes sir!" both said in unison._

_It had to be one of our neighbors, fighting again. I would just have to tell my parents tomorrow, and they would take care of it._ _Rolling onto my side, I grabbed an extra pillow and used it to cover my face, hoping to block out the noise and actually get some sleep…_

* * *

><p>I woke with a start, my heart leaping and throbbing out of my chest. For a split second, I thought that I would be looking at the familiar yellow walls of my own bedroom. But, as my head came back to reality, I saw that my only company was the quiet wood that surrounded me. Was that a dream, or... a memory?<p>

That dream was so…_real_. I could _feel_ the pillow, and _smell_ the woodsy scent of my oak bed frame. But it didn't make me homesick. Just…confused…

I spent a moment trying to figure out what the dream could possibly mean, but it was already starting to fade from my memory. Struggling to ingrain the scene into my mind, I continued to sit for a few more minutes, gazing at the bright, colorful forest. The afternoon sun shone vibrantly through the foliage, sending broad rays of sunlight through the treetops and littering the ground with spots of gold.

It amazed me how different it was from last night…the darkness was no longer twisting the trees into grotesque, monstrous forms, and I didn't feel the need to look over my shoulder every few seconds.

I could just…relax…

It was nice, compared to the restless nights that I had grown accustomed to. And, after effectively blocking all thoughts of Lewis and the earlier scene, I was able to take it a step further, blocking out all thoughts and just zoning out for a while.

The birds twittered from the treetops, reminding me of the rude awakening that I had only a few days ago. It felt like another lifetime, worrying about kidnappers and police. Silly. If only I had known then, what this place was. I probably wouldn't have run around like a moron, screaming and waving my arms around like a lunatic.

I probably would have trusted those kind strangers instead of getting bitchy and closing myself off… but I guess I couldn't change anything now. I would probably never see them again, let alone make it to Luin.

Hell, I probably wouldn't even make it to Hima.

Looking back, I wasn't completely sure _why_ I had set out to Luin. There was no significant importance to the city; I hadn't even been there before. I guess it was my stupid, irrational hope that, maybe along the way, there would be something that pointed me toward home… that gave me the answers. I knew that it was idiotic, thinking that the answers would just fall out of the sky, but I didn't know what else to do.

Either way, I was going to die. Whether I searched for answers or not, I was no closer to home. The only thing I regretted was bringing Lewis into my crazy delusion…

For a moment, I thought about how it would have been better, had I gone alone. If I had left by myself, then at least Lewis' life would have been spared… but, now, I was condemning us both. I had killed us both. But I was also glad that I hadn't decided to go alone. I wouldn't even have made it this far, wouldn't have learned what I had.

A rustling from the bushes made my mind snap into alertness. I scrambled to my feet, backing away from the potential monster and preparing to flee. _'Please, don't be a rabbit…' _I wished fervently as I gathered my shoes and stuffed them onto my feet.

Swiping a large stick lying on the ground a few feet away and getting into position, like Lewis had taught me, I prepared myself to act as soon as it lunged. That way, I reasoned, I could decide whether to fight or run when it's defense was down.

The rustling became louder, and I could hear soft moaning coming from the other side of the shrub, which most likely meant that it was a zombie… I shuddered, deciding that I would not fight another of those things. They were too…_human_…

I would land a hit to stun it, and then get as far away as I could.

I inched forward, keeping the wooden weapon gripped securely in my arms as I prepared to swing. I swung the stick into the air, bringing it down onto the hidden creature and making a sharp _crack_ as it connected with the monster's body.

"Argh!" The monster yelped, still shrouded by the mass of shrubs, "Goddess Martel! Why so _hard_?"

I jumped back a few feet, leering skeptically at the plant, "Monsters can…talk?"

A hand stuck out of the bush, clawing at the ground in a pitiful, halfhearted effort to pull itself out of the mass of plants. A normal, healthy human hand…

The voice spoke once again, a raspy whisper, "Ugh. No, you idiot. Now, help me up… before I-" The man/monster/plant started a round of heavy coughing that made me realize that it was probably ill…

A person? I was still on guard, making sure not to be deceived again. Desians were people, too, right? "S-so…you're not a monster…?" My stick was still pointed firmly in the direction of the man.

I could hear the exasperation in his voice, "Claire, if I was a monster, you would be lying in a pool of blood right now."

"Wha-? But how…?" I whispered, my confusion only growing with his cryptic answers. He knew my name. He _knew_ my name… but that could only mean… "Lewis?"

A faint chuckle reached my ears, followed by another round of coughing, "Took you long enough…ya dumb blonde…"

No. No, it couldn't be him. Lewis died, didn't he? The desian had killed him…hadn't she? I had spent the whole night preparing myself for his death, convincing myself that he had done it for me. That I should carry on, for his sake. It was like my mind was saying, "Screw you, Claire. I'm going to make your life a living hell, just 'cause I can."

"You're not real." I stated, as if it was blatantly obvious. Because he wasn't. I couldn't even see him under the shade of foliage, which only supported the idea that he was just a figment of my imagination. Why was I even talking to him, if it would only encourage my insane mind to continue this cruel trick?

"What are you- Of course I'm real, Claire!" I swiveled around, dropping my stick and walking away. "Claire, wait! Claire!" The hand, still clawing the ground in an obvious attempt to pull itself out of the shrub, was dirty and bloodstained. It grappled with the ground yanking a small portion of itself out of the plant, if only slightly.

From this angle, I could barely see the spiky nest of blonde hair poking out of the shrub. "Lewis," I breathed, wanting more than anything else to pull him out of there and help him.

I shook my head, my brain on overload. He wasn't real, but he was saying that he was real…and he was clearly injured… But wouldn't that be something my mind would make up? "Stop it! Why can't you just leave me alone?" I cried, turning to glare at the cheap imitation of Lewis, still mostly shrouded by the foliage.

"Claire," he started, for a moment his voice turning deadly serious, "…You're an idiot… Come help me up, will you?"

I stopped for a minute, contemplating his response. I _was _being a bit idiotic, wasn't I? Hadn't I already concluded that this place wasn't a dream? That it was real, whether I wanted to admit it or not? So, then, why was I still trying to convince myself that I was insane?

I sighed, resigning to his wishes and pulling him out of the shrub with relative difficulty.

"Finally realize that I'm not an illusion, huh?" Lewis joked, his face cut and bruised and, likely along the way here, he had picked up an illness that left him with a slightly green pallor. There was a large gash spanning across his waist that had shone through the ripped material, which looked suspiciously similar to bullet wounds.

I grinned, only extremely happy that he was real and _alive. _I hadn't killed him. We were going to be all right, at least for now.

"I leave for one night, and you come back like _this_?" I shook my head, throwing a mock scowl down to him, "What am I going to do with you?"

He gave another raspy laugh, only a shadow of its former vigor. "I guess you could start by thanking me… I did save your ass, after all."

"And my ass thanks you," I said, smiling despite myself, "Did you bring the bag with you?"

"Yep… Unfortunately, all of our gels are gone. And the panacea bottles, too."

My smile fell, unnerved by the sudden news. "That's not good… And we don't even know where we are!"

"Actually…" Lewis replied, "we aren't that far from the campsite…"

"Wh-what? But I was running all night! How could-?" I stopped suddenly, remembering that night…seeing a tree that had looked awfully familiar…

I smacked my forehead with my hand, "Oh my god…"

Lewis smirked, setting off another round of coughing, "You really have no sense of direction, do you? Ah, well, that's okay. We're almost to Hima, anyway. We can buy supplies there."

"But you can barely walk," I argued, "How can we get there if our only fighter is sick?"

The older boy gave me a mischievous glance, his eyes shining.

"With this…" he murmured, pulling out a small, red sphere. The ball glowed a faint pink hue, colors dancing on the surface in a myriad of shades. It looked frail, like a hollowed marble, but also gave off immense power.

"What…is it?" I breathed, subconsciously reaching out to touch it.

He drew his hand back, grinning triumphantly, "I found it on the desian. She must have been a higher up, because these things are pretty rare…"

He looked back down at the sphere. "I heard my dad talking about them, once. You know, he was a pretty successful merchant then, always out, exploring new lands… Well, once, he told me about these magical spheres…_expheres…_"

Lewis had a glazed look in his eye as he stared at the glowing orb. He had never talked about his father before. But I knew better than to press him for more details…

"They're supposed to grant the wearer immense power. Almost triple the strength, I think."

I blinked, still utterly lost. He was expecting me to believe that there was a magic stone that solved all of our problems…? It sounded too good to be true…

"And this will help us _how_?" I responded skeptically.

He looked up from the stone, his face turning agitated. "Don't you see, Claire? With this power, I can just blow through the monsters until we get to Hima! It's foolproof!"

I pursed my lips, an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't like this idea…something told me that Lewis didn't know much about these things, despite his apparent familiarity. But…what other choice did we have?

"Alright," I resigned, shrugging my shoulders, "Go ahead, then."

He smiled, thanking me with his eyes. Like a schoolboy with a shiny new toy, the older man wasted no time in gently placing the stone directly onto the back of his hand.

The ball immediately snapped into place, digging into the flesh. I saw Lewis wince slightly as the veins in his hands pulsated heavily.

"Are you okay…?" I was starting to worry. His face, already a bit green, had turned to a deathly shade of white. Despite the fact that he was sitting down, he swayed back and forth, clutching his head with one hand and steadying himself with the other.

"F-fine," he replied, his voice cracking.

"No you're not. You should take that off," I reached for his hand, only to have him pull it away from me.

He shook his head, covering the exphere possessively. "No way! I can _feel _the power, Claire. I'm okay, really… maybe it just takes a while to adjust. We can leave it on for now, right?"

I scowled at the exphere, not wanting to use anything that would hurt him. But he did seem attached to that thing…literally. I sighed and finally complied when I saw the heartfelt expression he was giving me. If it was for our own good, then it couldn't be bad…could it…?

* * *

><p>As it turned out, the effects of the new exphere did not go away. Lewis was wrong; it didn't get better. It got <em>worse.<em>

The veins on Lewis' left hand, previously only swollen and protruding slightly, now seemed to flow _into _the exphere, as if it were feeding itself into the gem. His arm would twitch every once in a while, but he insisted that he did it on purpose.

Lewis tried to pass every incident off as a fluke. "_My hand has always looked like that. Stop being paranoid, Claire,_" he would say. But I wasn't being paranoid. That thing was hurting him… I knew it.

He was much better in battle, his movements quicker and his attacks packing more of a punch, but afterwards was when the exhaustion set in. After practically every battle, we would have to rest for hours at a time, our record being a whole twenty-four hours before we were once again able to travel.

On the bright side, I had once again taken up training with Lewis. The near-death experience had left me realizing the dangers of being unprotected…and I wouldn't allow it to happen again. However, he and I both knew that I wasn't meant to hold a sword in my scrawny arms.

So, Lewis had suggested that I try his old bow, the one that he had packed for emergencies and that had been his mother's. Although my eyesight was still atrocious, it felt good knowing that I contributed to the battles in some way.

It had to be a full week before we were finally able to reach Hima, and, by then, Lewis could barely stand for a few hours at a time.

We stumbled into the small inn, both dirty and worn from our long trip. And this wasn't even half of the journey…

The old man at the counter smiled. "Well, hello!" he said, and I caught a hint of surprise in his voice, "And what can I do for you fine travelers, today?"

"We'd like two rooms, please," I said, trying to prop Lewis up with my arm, who only smiled weakly in thanks. There was no way I was going to share a room with the man, no matter how many times we had slept outside together. It was just…too awkward.

The man handed us our keys and I took them, immediately leading Lewis into his room. At once, he flopped onto the bed and fell asleep shortly after.

I huffed, shaking my head at the sleeping boy and grabbing our money pouch. "I'm going shopping, now. Any objections? No? That's what I thought," I grumbled, tiptoeing out of the room…but it wasn't like I needed to. Lewis slept like a rock.

I bought the necessities at the miniscule market: food, gels, some medicine for Lewis' poison, and some new arrows for my bow. A small stand caught my eye as I passed, a clothing stall. Looking from my tattered gray attire to the brightly colored wares, I decided to take a peek. After all, Lyla _did _give us some extra money. It would be a shame if we didn't get to use it…

"You would look stunning in this!" said the decidedly effeminate shopkeeper, holding up a bright red cape.

I snorted, shaking my head. As badass as a cape would be-and I was definitely thinking of Kratos, here- I thought about how many times I would trip over the cape, and my opinion of the idea lowered. That would probably be the least badass thing I could think of, tripping over my cape in battle.

I decided to get one of the forest green tunics, knowing that the color would probably help mask the dirt and grass stains that come with sleeping outdoors. The shopkeeper enthusiastically proposed that I get matching white leggings, but I determined to go with brown pants.

After all, if I couldn't keep my gray slacks clean for five seconds, then it sure as hell wasn't going to help if they were _white_.

I also picked up some new clothes for Lewis, just a russet shirt and pants that I thought looked similar to his regular outfit. I was very tempted to listen to the sage advice of the shopkeeper, who vehemently recommended the bright red jacket and purple pant combo, but in the end decided against it. He wouldn't have the energy to find it funny, anyway…

Taking my things, and a new belt for my tunic, I wandered back to the inn where I had left the sleeping Lewis. He was still lying there when I came back, passed out on the bed with his limbs sprawled across the bed haphazardly. I dumped my stuff onto the small end table and stood, watching his labored breaths with a pained look.

As much as I knew he needed his rest, I soon decided that he needed his medicine more. The remedy worked almost immediately, his visage turning back to its normal coloring—if not a bit pale.

At once, I started to regret my passionate hatred toward the exphere. Maybe it was the poison that had made him so sick…maybe the exphere had been helping this whole time…

Still, as I stared at the throbbing gem dug into his pale, swelling hand, I couldn't yet shake the feeling of malice…

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><p>Days passed, and we soon left Hima well rested, prepared and- thank the lord -<em>showered<em>.

Our journey to Luin was quiet. Taking the forest path meant that we encountered fewer travelers and desians—but there were quite a few more monsters to repel, even with the help of our newly purchased 'Holy Bottle'.

Apparently, it was blessed by the Church of Martel to ward off evil aura. However, Lewis soon told me that it was actually endowed with a special scent that monsters couldn't stand. So, as long as we kept the cap open, monsters tended to stay away from us altogether.

And, when the few brave enough to challenge _did _attack, we were more than prepared.

Lewis had gotten much better with the sword, even learning new techniques like 'Beast' and 'Sonic Thrust', which was a great improvement from the 'hack and slash' strategy that he had first adopted.

Although he was still rather ill, I grudgingly admitted that the exphere was amplifying his abilities at an accelerated rate. While I was still struggling even to equip my bow in time, Lewis was performing seemingly impossible feats every day.

"Claire…?" He said one night, out of the blue, as we were eating by the newly made fire. It was a bad night for him, his arm swelling more than usual and his energy low. I could see that he could barely keep his head up.

"Hnngh?" I mumbled, my mouth full of soup.

The boy simply stared for a moment before shaking his head, "I…nothing." He wouldn't look me in the eye, and I knew something had to be wrong.

"Oh, c'mon!" I whined, "You can't just leave me hanging like that! What's up?"

Lewis paused for a moment, opening and shutting his mouth as if debating what to say, "…We're…friends now, right?"

I gave him a strange look, downing the last of my soup before speaking. "Yeah. I'd say we're pretty good friends, I guess…" I muttered, still utterly confused as to where he was going with this.

He looked down kicking a loose stone with the back of his boot. "And friends are honest with each other, aren't they?"

I nodded and he continued, still unable to meet my eyes, "Claire, are you…really from Luin…?"

"W-what?" I said, this time my turn to avoid his eyes, "C'mon, Lewis. Where else would I be from? Heh…"

I was entirely taken aback. How did he guess? There was nothing I had given away, no story of home that I had absentmindedly told. I had kept vigilant, making sure that no one would find out my crazy back-story. He wouldn't believe it if I told him, that I was sure of.

But the real reason I didn't tell him is because…if he knew the truth, he might decide that the trip to Luin wasn't worth it. And, as much as this journey was unbearable, it was also a lot of fun for me. If Lewis left, I would be alone again…

He continued to stare at the fire, his eyebrows creased. "I…I don't know it's just…I've been giving this a lot of thought and…well…" He looked up, giving me a skeptical look.

"It doesn't make sense, how you somehow managed to make it to Izoold without protection, and yet can't step two feet out of the village without becoming seriously injured. You avoid any questions about family. Your clothes, your mannerisms… You know nothing about monsters, even common knowledge that Katie would understand, and you don't know how to work even the simplest of items."

"But I know how to use gels…" I replied weakly, finding that I couldn't come up with a solid argument to any of his accusations. I hated lying to him, but I had no choice when I was backed into a corner like this.

"But after the zombie attacked, we took you to our house, and… I saw your face when we used that gel. You were shocked -I saw you!" He argued, and I could practically see the gears in his head turning.

"Don't be stupid," I scoffed, "You're tired and sick. I think you just need some sleep. Here, I'll-"

"You're a horrible liar, you know that? Stop changing the damn subject and just tell me the truth!"

I shrunk back, stammering a few apologies and overall stalling as best as I could. "W-well, you know, does it matter? I mean, I…uh…"

"It does matter, Claire. Oh, but I see…" Lewis said as his eyes turned sullen, giving another round of coughing that made him look even more pathetic, "You don't trust me, do you? So then, I guess we're not friends, are we?"

My flustered expression turned to dismay. "No! No, that's not it at all. It's just- Well, I…I don't want you to…freak out."

The boy eyed me incredulously. "Freak…out…? Just who the hell are you, Claire? Some sort of mass murderer?"

"No, no!" I panicked, realizing that my plan was having an opposite effect. He was going to leave, not because of my insane story, but because he imagined a far worse tale. "Nothing bad. Just…unbelievable. I mean, I don't even understand the details of it."

Lewis stopped for a minute, and I knew he was trying to piece together what I had just said. He was trying to find a solution, an answer. Unfortunately, that made two of us…

"Alien?" He guessed, lifting his head in muted curiosity.

I snorted, shaking my head. Honestly? What next, a radioactive spider?

"Don't even try to guess, you won't get very far. You want to hear the truth?" I said, my voice cracking, the temperature slowly rising. The pressure inside of me was building. The carefully constructed walls that I had put up around my emotions were crumbling down, and out flooded the pent-up frustrations that I had left to fester.

My voice was slow, careful. "I don't have one clue how I got here. You know, I _could _be an alien, I have no idea. One minute, I'm in my bed- at least, I _thought _I was in my bed- and the next I'm in the middle of a forest with fucking _lunatics. _Heh. But who cares, right?"

Everything began flooding out of my mouth, and in that moment I could care less if he was going to leave. "Who cares about a lost _child _in the middle of nowhere? I'll tell you who: no one. Nobody did a goddamn thing, Lewis. Nobody! Apparently, everyone in this world is a prick. And you know what the _worst part_ is?"

I gave one short bark, looking up for a response. But he didn't answer. He didn't have a thing to say, because he was just as guilty as everyone else. "I didn't do anything to deserve this, Lewis. Not one thing… Is this the punishment I get for not recycling? Did fate finally get me back for my nasty jaywalking habit?"

I joked, but all of my words seemed to have a bitter edge to them. "Even if I had to go through all of this, even if I had to spend the rest of my _life_ in this hell, I would be okay if I knew that this wasn't _crushing _my family. They probably, no they _must _think I'm dead. And no one here gives a shit."

I wasn't even talking to Lewis anymore. I was talking to everything, everywhere. I might have even been venting at the world, karma, fate, _whatever._

"You know," I started after a few moments of silence, "Sometimes I think that I might just be crazy. Sometimes I don't think I can tell the difference between hallucinations and reality. And, if this _were _all just my insane mind, then why would I even want to live any more? What would be the point?"

Lewis looked up from his contemplation, his eyes full of pity. I let his anxiety consume me, until my self-pity and hopelessness took over my consciousness. It felt good, finally letting all of my feelings out. But I knew I would have to live with the consequences…

Finally, after a few moments of stunned silence, he opened his mouth to speak. I leaned in, wanting to know his verdict. I wanted to get the hurt over with. Rip it off, like a band-aid.

"Claire…" he said, his intense russet eyes meeting my emerald from across the fire, "…What's a 'jaywalking'…?"

I facepalmed.

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><p><strong>Ugghh. I was <em>so <em>hoping that I would get to Luin in this chapter. -_-;**

**I apologize if I had to skip around a lot. Heh. I just didn't think readers would want to hear _everything _about the oh-so-exciting trip to Hima ("And so, they battled a couple grasshoppers and won. They got 250 gald and an orange gel!") Yeah. Not very exciting. Annnyywaayy. :D**

**Review? Review. **


	7. You Win Some, You Lose Some

**Author's Notes: **Oh! Uh, hi! Been a while, huh? Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you; it's definitely me. ;D

Really sorry for the delay! You would think making an outline would help with the whole "writer's block" thing, but really it just makes you want to tear your hair out even more. I think I've written and re-written and edited and scrapped the beginning at least five times. And I'm _still _not happy with it! Crazy, right? XD

But I figured if I didn't like it after four months of editing, I'll never like it. So I'll probably tweak it a bit later when I'm feeling up to it, but right now I'm just plain sick of this chapter. It's just... so... many... flaws... ~.~

Alright, well I should probably let you get to the reading. That's why you're here, anyway! Thanks to all of those that reviewed and critiqued, too! I'm listening, believe me, and it's really helping me out. So thanks! :)

But before I let this AN get too long... Let the reading... BEGIN! :D

Disclaimer: *clears throat* This author does not hold any rights to the Tales franchise, nor to the Tales of Symphonia game produced by Namco for the gamecube and ps2. All rights are reserved to the original creators of said game. The end. ^-^

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><p>The sun was close to rising as I sat by the extinguished fire, my eyes occasionally wandering to the sleeping boy on the other side.<p>

I had told him. I had told him everything… And I only knew him for a month, at best. Why? Was I really _that_ needy?

I spun my bow on one finger, giving a deep yawn as I tried desperately to stay awake during my night patrol. Lewis had finally entrusted this _one _chore to me, and I wasn't about to screw it up.

"_That's ridiculous,_" he had said, "_You really have an overactive imagination, don't you?_"

He didn't believe it. Not at first.

He knew I wasn't joking, but I could tell he didn't quite know what to think of it. I don't think he believed half of what I had said. Maybe he thought I was crazy…maybe he just felt sorry for me… But whichever it was, I never got to figure out; he went to bed shortly after my breakdown. The exphere was draining his energy at more than it's usual rate, and I could feel that he wanted to pretend like this was all a dream.

I had wished that, too, at one point, didn't I?

But still, it made me angry with myself that I couldn't keep a secret for even this long… I had always been a blabbermouth, but I had hoped that I could keep it contained for more than a few weeks. And now I've dragged an innocent person into my crazed story. But what could I possibly say when he woke up? I was sure that he would want a full explanation at some point, after all.

I decided that now was the time to buckle down. I was a seventeen-year-old girl, dammit! I wasn't a child anymore, I could find my own way. This wasn't the time to act like a little kid, constantly complaining about things that no one could fix. No one was going to hold my hand, after all.

All this time I had never been able to fend for myself. Charity was the only thing keeping me alive at this point, and it frustrated me to admit. We were almost to Luin, and I had still managed to adopt some of my old, cowardly ways.

I resolved that, from this point on, I would have to start growing up.

Yeah, I could do that, couldn't I? Once I got to Luin, I could bide my time, wait things out. Maybe find some work and save up some money. Lewis would go home, and I would continue to train. Do a little research…

And then…

My eyes snapping from their dreamy stare, I looked over to where Lewis was sleeping and perked up when I happened a glance to the glowing gem stuck onto his clenched hand.

"Oh my god," I murmured, racing over to the shuddering man. While I was spacing out, his arm was steadily growing bigger, turning a pale olive green color. I inspected the limb cautiously, noting that he wasn't responding to the contact. This wasn't good…

"Lewis? Heh, this isn't funny, Lewis. Hey, c'mon, wake up!" Even the violent shaking wouldn't wake the sleeping boy, and I was starting to panic. I knew that the exphere wasn't any good. I knew it… but I hadn't expected things to go this far.

How could I have missed this…? Had I really been spaced out for _that _long?

His arm had grown twice its size, now starting to remind me of those Hulk movies my brother loved so much, and lengthening to almost past his knees. I looked between the arm and the gem in distress, not knowing whether it would be a better solution to leave the jewel or yank it out.

But I knew that the exphere was the cause of this, and I chose the solution that made the most sense at the time.

I ripped it out.

Like a panicky idiot who didn't know what she was doing, I ripped it out.

The stone came out with a light _plunk, _veins snapping loose of the exphere and falling into the small indent left on the hand_. _Time seemed to freeze as I kept the gem in a firm grasp, irrationally fearing that it might return to his hand once more.

Lewis' eyes snapped open, and I flinched as he reached his swelling limb into view. He picked his head off the ground in a zombie-like stupor.

Relief flooded through my system. He was _awake. _That was a good sign, right? "A-ah! Thank god, I-"

"Claire," The boy groaned, his face slowly turning an unnatural shade of green. The noise coming out of his mouth sounded warbled and distorted, like he was talking through a fan. "Claire, what did y-y-you-"

In that moment Lewis stopped, his eyes glazed over. I watched, too stunned to register his body convulsing violently and sliding listlessly to the ground.

Scratch that… maybe it _wasn't _a good sign.

Veins elongating, fingers turning into savage, deadly claws. His arms contorted, his head was not a head; it had become some sort of bulbous growth, with only one ruby eye in the center… Now I wasn't a doctor, but I was almost completely sure that these changes were not natural in the slightest. He was turning into a _monster. _And I could only stand and stare, not even able to look away.

"What the-"

I was abruptly cut off by an earsplitting roar, coming from the mouth (hole?) of a monstrous Lewis. It stood up on its hind legs, its apelike arms dragging behind it. I noticed faintly that I still had the glowing jewel clutched in my palm, but my body refused to make a move to conceal it, or do anything but gape.

I was in shock… What _was _he? _It_? I couldn't be sure… Was it still Lewis…? Did it…eat him? Why was all of this happening? Because of the gem? _Why_?

"L-Lewis?" I half shouted to the monster, who still had its back facing me.

It whipped its head around, making me cringe back a few feet, my brain still not fully comprehending the situation. It had all happened so fast…

"Lewis…?" I tried again, "Are you- _oof_!" A claw swung back, striking me right at the center of my abdomen and sending me through the air. I landed with a low _thump, _back first, toppling over some of the supplies that we had meticulously packed. Dazed for a moment, I stumbled back to my feet, clutching the spot where it had knocked the wind out of me.

I had soon wished that I hadn't drawn its attention, because its terrifying gaze was now locked onto me, and it didn't look incredibly thrilled. In fact, it didn't look much of anything… There was just blind fury, pure rage, brought on by nothing.

Why was Lewis acting like this? Even if he _were _in this form, there must be some of the old Lewis buried deep inside, right? Maybe it was just a matter of bringing him back _out…_

But how…?

I didn't want to fight it, because what if it really _was _Lewis? If I hadn't seen it happen in front of my eyes, I wouldn't believe it were real. But I _had _seen it, and the monster _was _wearing the shredded remnants of Lewis' clothes…

Another roar from the beast snapped me out of my trivial thoughts, causing me to clutch my bow instinctively. It stepped a bit closer, and I gave a warning shot to buy more time. I was running solely on adrenaline, my body physically exhausted by the night shift and stunned as to what was happening.

But it _was_ shocking, how relaxed I was about this whole thing. I should've been scared, petrified, cowering in a corner by now. But… I wasn't. Not at all. I was confused, disoriented, concerned maybe. But not scared. This monster… it wasn't any different from the creatures that I had fought, was it? The zombies I had encountered on a daily basis, some with eyes hanging freely from their socket, were scarier than this. And yes, he was big. But hadn't Lewis and I challenged a velocidragon a few days ago that could match this monster's height with ease?

I wasn't scared for myself; the weapon in my hand had erased these fears a long time ago. But I _was _scared for Lewis…

I couldn't shoot it, I couldn't reason with it… What could I do?

"_I could run…_"

"Oh…crap," I muttered, realizing that my own subconcious voice might actually be right.

I didn't want to run again, but…

Another screech, and I jumped back onto the defensive. The bow didn't offer much protection from the blows, and the lack of armor made my situation even more deadly, but some of the cheap shots still bought me some time.

I couldn't decide what to do, other than grab what I could carry and run… After all, my arrows were bound to run out sooner or later. But something kept me stalling for more options, wracking my brain for a solution to my hideous mistake.

And how could I just leave him alone?

"_Claire!_"

I jolted, looking up to where the strained voice was coming from, it's voice sounding an awful lot like the former Lewis. It seemed like he was… fighting with himself; his claws snaked around his torso, as if he could restrain himself easier with the contact.

"_Claire, you need to run, idiot!_" he wailed, his tone holding a trace of urgency.

I looked to the exphere in my hand, to the nearby forest path, then back to Lewis. "But-"

"_Get out! NOW! I… kniaaagghhARRGGH!_"

No identifiable words came from the monster, the rest of his speech resembling low grunting and screeches. Claws like daggers swooped in on me in a low arch, and I managed to duck all but the brunt of the blow, being knocked backwards once again.

"Ack-!"

The bushes created a nice cushion for my fall, my legs dangling limply over the edge of the shrub. I once again scrambled to my feet, and got back into position, noting that I was almost out of arrows…

Four arrows… If I left now, I could spare these arrows until I reached Luin…

My head now clearer than before, I thought about my situation in a more logical sense. Obviously, I didn't know how these things worked… After all, I had allowed my first friend here to be turned into a hideous monster, didn't I?

My subconscious had told me to leave. _Lewis_ had told me to leave… If I left now… maybe I could search for a cure…?

If anything, he had proved that he was still in there somewhere. And he was fighting it.

"…Okay…" I determined to myself, noting the monster's looming form, "Alright, Lewis, you win. I… I have to go, okay? I'm… really sorry…"

There was no response from the beast, and I couldn't even search its eyes for a look of understanding; it didn't _have_ eyes. The claw was coming down for another swipe, and I used one last arrow to block it. Using this final chance, I gathered all I could from the pile by the campfire and ran.

But before I escaped from the brute completely, I made sure to pick up Lewis' exphere, the sole factor in his transformation.

The exphere had something to do with this… And maybe, when Luin came, I could find a way to fix my mistake. Maybe I could rectify all of the harm I had caused him.

I had a new game plan, now.

My new mission… to find a cure.

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><p>It was Luin. I had made it to Luin.<p>

That was the only thought that crossed my mind as I stumbled through the streets of the small fishing town, physically and emotionally drained to the core. I was in a daze, unable to do anything but put one foot in front of the other.

Sure, it had only taken a fatal illness, various bloodthirsty monsters, one angry desian and fleeing from the monstrous form of my former friend to make it here, but I considered it a great accomplishment. And just knowing that I _could _get here was the real prize.

It wasn't really a sight to behold, but it could have just been my eyes drooping from lack of sleep. The city air smelled heavily of fish and algae, reminding me of my time in Izoold, and I couldn't get the taste of the salty air out of my mouth… but it certainly had its charms. It wasn't as grand as I had expected, but I had learned not to pin too much hope on expectations anymore.

One lone exphere and nine questionable scars later, I was here. In Luin… It was almost ironic, how much trouble it took to get here. And for what…?

_The exphere… _

Maybe I could sell it for some extra money… I'd bet these things were worth a lot, after all… Would it be wrong of me? It could be the key to fixing what had happened to Lewis.

My grip tightened on the gem in my hand, my mouth falling into a hard line. I didn't want to think of it… I was too exhausted to feel anything but numb at the moment, anyway. Instead, I turned my thoughts back to the new surroundings.

My first stop was a no brainer: the food stall, of course. And after I got some of the essentials, I felt it was a good idea to get a room and sleep off some of the stress.

The line getting into the inn was longer than I had planned, as well. When I finally arrived at the front of the counter, the woman on duty gave me an apologetic smile.

"So sorry, miss," she insisted, taking another glance at the growing line behind me, "It seems we're almost out of rooms… Would you mind terribly if you were to share?"

I shook my head, propping the remains of our supplies up with one shoulder. "Uh, no… I guess that's fine."

After sleeping outside for weeks on end, sharing a room seemed like the last of my worries. And really, I just needed a place to stay for a few nights… But I _was _starting towonder why this place was so crowded.

"Crazy, isn't it?" the innkeeper laughed when she measured my expression, shrugging her shoulders, "It's been like this for days."

"Huh, really? Why's that?"

She rolled her eyes and gave a heavy sigh, "It comes down to a lot of things, but it's mostly because of the chosen's presence, y'know…"

I nodded, but it was mostly out of courtesy. In actuality, I had no clue. The chosen was that girl, Colette, right? But she was in some place called Palmacosta, wasn't she?

She smiled again when she saw the utterly lost look I was giving her. "Been living under a rock for the last few weeks or something?"

"Er, I guess you could say that…"

"Well," she leaned closer, ignoring the grumbled protests of the waiting patrons, "There's been word going around that the chosen might be coming into town! Right here, in Luin! Can you believe it?"

I immediately perked up when I heard this, but I didn't exactly know whether to be excited or worried. As happy as I was to hear that I would be able to see my rescuers again, I also realized how this could create some issues. I had told them that I had lived in Luin… They would expect me to own a home, right? And to have some sort of family, too.

Would I have to travel, again?

The mere thought of walking any long distance made my feet throb…

"Seriously?"

"Mhm~! We're hoping she'll bring blessings upon the town while she's passing through… That'll stop those desians dead in their tracks, huh?"

She must have been referring to the ranch that was located just a few days away from the city, I realized.

"But do you really think she's going to bless the city? I mean, she's probably pretty busy…"

I knew that _I _wouldn't want to bless a city under these circumstances, especially when Colette had such a long journey ahead of her. But thinking back to the girl I had met in Izoold, she might have a different opinion on the matter.

When the woman didn't respond, I looked up, shocked to see her face drooping, her expression dismal. It suddenly occurred to me how influential the chosen _was_ to these people…

"But she must want to!" I quickly retracted, if only to make her feel better, "And I'm sure she'll find the time, with something this important."

Her face brightened almost instantly. "You're right, she has to! We need her prayers, especially now that we've started taking in…uh…" she stopped for a moment, regret crossing her face, "Oh, heh, but I'm rambling. Can we pick this up later? The line is getting long…"

She scribbled something down in her notepad, handing me a slip of paper and waving me off with a grin, "Room four, kay? Thanks for stopping in! NEXT! Hello, sir, need a room?"

I moved out of the way, the rest of the line giving a collective sigh of relief when I was finally gone. But what that woman said stuck to my brain, even walking up the outdoor staircase to my room.

She had stuttered… Had that just been a coincidence? Maybe I was thinking too much. It was probably this exhaustion plaguing my mind, after all… And once I'd have a good night's rest, it would be apparent that-

"Oof!"

"Yeow!"

A blur of purple and black, tumbling to the foot of the staircase with a sharp _smack._

Blinking in astonishment, my arms trapped underneath the pile of limbs and my head pinned backward, I mumbled, "O- oh mu' goff, 'm so sr'y!"

I coughed nervously and the woman struggled to gain her footing, finally finding steady ground and hoisting herself back to her feet in one fluid movement.

She dusted herself off with one hand, finally noting my place on the floor and blushing. Fixing her large pink bow, she reached a hand down to help me up, and I took it without hesitation.

"Heh, sorry bout that! Guess I need to pay more attention." She admitted, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Ah, well … s'okay." Now back on my feet, I still couldn't shake the overwhelming bout of shock that jumped through my body when I took a second glance at the girl.

Now I wasn't a pervert or anything, but… with assets like that, I was starting to feel a bit self-conscious in my baggy tunic. Her plunging- almost nonexistent- neckline only made it harder to ignore, but that wasn't the part that held most of my attention…

She was… _Asian. _Or of some similar ethnicity, at least. Not that I had anything against it, but I had gone so long without seeing a person of a different ethnicity… When I reflected back on the last few days, it was hard to think of any single person. It was strange, if you thought about it enough.

These features, combined with the bright lavender attire and baby pink bow, made her stick out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the travelers that I had seen.

"No, no, I was the one that wasn't looking," I finally piped up.

"Huh? Oh," glancing down to the floor, the girl knelt down, grasping a small object in her hand as she rose. "I think you dropped… this…"

She scrutinized the circular item for a moment, her eyes going cross as she rolled it between two fingers.

"Huh, go figure. Are they popular on this side, too?" she muttered to herself.

I held out my hand, noting with relief that the object was Lewis' exphere. It must have fallen out of my hand during the fall… "Ah, thanks a bunch!"

"No problem," murmured the woman, still lost in thought, "Say… That's an exphere, isn't it? How did you manage to get one of those?"

I peeked down toward the exphere, then back to the girl.

"Well… erm." Should I tell her? It would be a bit of a stretch, especially for a stranger. Heck, _I _wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it, myself.

"It's a long story." I settled with answering, content with not giving too much information away.

The girl nodded, her expression perplexed, holding a bit of worry as she placed the glowing gem into my hand. "You're not planning to use it, are you? Not without a key crest anyway, right? Or maybe on a machine, but…"

This made me frown, my brow furrowed. Key crest? How much did this girl know…?

"No, I wasn't planning on using it at all…"

She breathed a quiet sigh of relief that only managed to confuse me further. Eying her up and down, I added, "But… if you don't mind my asking, what were you saying before? Something about a key crest?"

The woman seemed a big taken aback by this inquiry, but quickly regained her composure and shot a distrusting glance from the exphere back to me. "Yeah, a key crest. At the instit- Er, I mean where _I'm_ from, they taught us that putting an exphere directly on the skin is bad for you. So you have to place a key crest onto the skin before it, I think."

I pursed my lips, the facts slowly starting to add up. It was obvious that we had done something wrong with the exphere- the gigantic cyclops monster was proof enough of that. But a key crest…? How have I not heard of this before?

"Okay… So, lets just say," I mused to the girl, "that I have this friend who _doesn't _have a key crest, and he- or she- wore it anyway. Would I be able to… reverse the exphere effects if I put a key crest on?"

She pondered this a moment, then shrugged, my heart sinking when she shook her head. "Not sure… I've never run into something like that before. Sorry."

My shoulders slumped, I nodded, "Nah, it's alright."

Even without the answer, this was good information. The expheres were dangerous without a key crest, which would explain why Lewis went out of control like that. If I could put the exphere back on _with _the key crest, then the effects would reverse themselves and he would be totally fine! At least, that was the logic I was going by…

Now that only begged the question: where could I find one? Would I have to face off with another desian?

It seemed like every time I got an answer, a billion new questions popped up. "Well… thanks anyway. I guess I'll see you 'round."

I swiveled around to leave, but she caught my shoulder before I could escape, jerking me back a bit.

"Hold on!" she blurted, tugging me a bit further, "Why such a rush? I can't call you 'girl' every time I see you, right?"

Straightening up, I rubbed my neck in a nervous manner. She had a point, after all.

"You're right. We kind of got off on the wrong foot, didn't we? Literally…"

"Seems like I can never find the _right _foot," she grinned, holding out her hand, "Lets try this again. Sheena Fujibayashi, at your service."

I smiled too, meeting her arm halfway, "Claire Wagner, newbie traveler extraordinaire… Well actually, just newbie traveler. You wouldn't happen to have room four, would you?"

"Ah… no. Two, actually. But I'm only staying for a few days."

"Oh, alright. And then what?"

Her gaze darkened, making her look a bit guilty as she replied, "Well, I'm supposed to go to the next seal…" she paused for a moment, deliberating, but her face quickly brightened.

"I mean, uh… Nothing too important. Guess I can stay for a bit longer, after all."

"That's great! Maybe long enough to see Colett- Er… the _chosen_ come into town."

She put on an incredibly phony look of excitement. "Yeah, heh… Can't wait for that!"

I pursed my lips when I realized that she didn't seem too enthralled with the thought of meeting Colette. Though faintly curious, I didn't press it too much.

Because I supposed it was just another thing we had in common…

"You hungry? Why don't I show you around a bit?"

Grinning to myself, I gave a short nod to the girl, stuffing the key and the exphere into my pocket for later. If information really came _that _easily, I knew that I would have the cure in no time. But for now, I focused on the fact that I had made a new friend. And that was good enough for me.

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><p><strong>Lame ending, I know. ^^;<strong>

**It probably would have made more sense for me to put the whole dramatic Lewis-turns-into-a-monster thing at the end of _last _chapter, and left it with a cliffhanger... Unfortunately, I didn't think about it too much at the time (not like I ever do! XD) But hey, hindsight is twenty-twenty, amiright? :)**

**Besides that, I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up a little sooner... ****But until then, I guess I'll see ya'll later! :D**


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